"I'm not an idiot," he said.
The hobbyist was flying the $4,000 drone over a crash scene on Saturday morning to shoot photos and video. Authorities said both fire officials and a Clark County sheriff's deputy told Stanley to stop flying his remote-controlled aircraft because the helicopter was preparing to land, and that he refused. The helicopter was able to land and depart safely from the scene.
Stanley is facing a felony charge of obstructing official business and misdemeanor charges of misconduct at an emergency and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Monday and said he's going to hire a lawyer to fight the charges. Stanley, a 31-year-old copy-machine repairman and videographer, said he flew his remote-controlled "hexacopter" about 75 feet above where a pickup had hit a tree in Moorefield Township near Springfield. He said he was shooting the video as a hobby and would have turned it over to local television stations, as he has done before.
There currently are no regulations in Ohio governing private use of the unmanned aircraft, although law enforcement agencies must get special permits to use them. The Federal Aviation Administration bars the commercial use of drones.
WCMH: News, Weather, and Sports for Columbus, Ohio
CLARK COUNTY, Ohio - A 31-year-old man was arrested after allegedly refusing to lower a camera drone to allow a medical helicopter to land at the scene of a crash in Clark County last weekend.
According to the Clark County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement and emergency personnel were at the scene of a crash in the 2900 block of Mechanicsburg Road on April 12.
While EMS members were attempting to rescue the victim, the fire chief called for Careflight, and while waiting for it to arrive, noticed a man flying a helicopter-type object over the crash scene.
Officials said they repeatedly asked the man to bring the object to the ground to allow Careflight to land, and that the helicopter would not be able to land if the object was in the air.
The object was determined to be a camera drone.
The suspect allegedly told authorities repeatedly that he was not breaking any laws and did not have to lower it.
The suspect, later identified as Kele Stanley, 31, of Springfield, refused to cooperate and was placed into custody.
Stanley was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail on a felony charge of obstructing official business, and one misdemeanor count each of misconduct at an emergency, and disorderly conduct.
Stanley told NBC4's David Mazza that he uses the same drone to capture video and images for weddings and events as a side business.
"The victim actually stated that he saw this flying apparatus flying around his head," said Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly.
Stanley told his side of the story in a long conversation with NBC4, saying he was shooting video of the crash, complied with officers, but was still arrested. He claims the video on his drone will tell his story.
Story, photos, video and comments/reaction: http://www.nbc4i.com
