The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
On Wednesday, a woman allegedly fired a revolver at an aircraft that she thought was a drone but turned out to be a small plane distributing pesticides in the area.
40-year-old Stacy Nguyen Rodgers lives in Ouachita, Louisiana, which has reportedly had a recent problem with swarms of West Nile carrying mosquitos.
Early Wednesday morning, just before 12:30 am, a small plane was spraying the hot zones in an effort to try to control the population of the disease-carrying insects.
When the plane made a pass over Rodgers’ home the woman allegedly believed it was a drone being operated for the pleasure of the owner. She reportedly picked up a pistol and fired shots in the air in an alleged attempt to ground what she thought was a robotic unmanned object.
Someone nearby reportedly saw the event as it took place and caught a video of the time period just after Rodgers allegedly shot the firearm, and the footage reportedly showed the small plane being flown by a human. The audio was said to have a voice identified as Rodgers’ talking about how the drone owner was trying to “taunt” when the plane made its second pass overhead, in addition to making a comment about the gunfire.
Officers arrived at Rodgers’ residence and spoke with her about the situation. They reported that she told them about the drone that kept flying over her yard and allegedly disclosed that she used the weapon.
The officers took the gun from Rodgers’ possession and reviewed the video showing the airplane before they placed her under arrest.
Rodgers was taken to the Ouachita Parish jail where she was incarcerated for suspicion of felony illegal use of a weapon. She was released from custody later that morning after paying $500 bond.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.