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Man Charged In Radio-Controlled Drone Flight At NY Capitol

A commercial UAV/drone flying at night.
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State Police say the operator of a small radio-controlled hobby drone flying over New York's Capitol last month has been charged with reckless endangerment.

Authorities say 36-year-old Adam Rupeka of Troy asked to get his aircraft back from the roof after it hit a chimney Sept. 17.

Rupeka, who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanors, returns to Albany City Court on Oct. 21.

A call to his lawyer was not immediately returned.

Capt. Robert Patnaude says it's not illegal to fly over the Capitol, but in this case they believe Rupeka acted recklessly and the drone could have damaged the building.

Rupeka posted a Sept. 17 video on the website copblock.org of an investigator initially declining to return the drone while acknowledging not knowing if any crime was committed.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
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