DOCUMENT: Crime

Cops: Hobbyist’s $1200 device landed in the wrong backyard

MAY 3–A married couple is facing felony charges after reportedly admitting to burning a drone in their fire pit after discovering the $1200 item had mistakenly landed on their Florida property, according to court records.

Investigators say that Christopher Paula, 40, was flying a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone (seen below) around 11:30 PM last Saturday when it “lost communication while in flight” over his Port St. Lucie neighborhood.

The drone, Paula told police, was programmed to “automatically return to its home point when connection is lost.” However, instead of flying back to Paula’s residence, the wayward drone touched down in the backyard of a house owned by Sandra Marcelus, 43.

Marcelus, who bought the property in 2016, lives there with her husband Alquidiven Daniels, 49.

Using a GPS tracking feature, Paula determined his drone’s “last known position” was in a nearby backyard, cops reported. Paula said when he knocked on the home’s front door, a woman’s voice came through the Ring doorbell camera and declared, “You don’t have a fucking drone anymore, sir.”

Paula then contacted police, who subsequently spoke with Marcelus about the drone incursion (an annoyance with which many homeowners are familiar).

After reportedly admitting that she and Daniels “burned the drone,” Marcelus said that the couple has “experienced ongoing issues with drones flying over their property.” The flights, she added, prompted her to recently post on the “Ring Neighborhood app” about her concerns about the drones, which “would pause when she noticed them.”

On one recent occasion, Marcelus told police, she was “outside undressed” when a drone flew over her property. A week ago, “upon discovering the foreign object with a camera in their yard, Marcelus stated they burned the drone in the fire pit,” reported police, who say that Daniels confirmed this account.

Due to the drone destruction, Marcelus and Daniels were arrested for criminal mischief. The charge is classified as a felony since the value of the damaged property exceeds $1000.

Marcelus and Daniels (pictured above) were freed from the county jail after each posted a $2500 bond. (2 pages)