ATTACK OF THE DRONE
Woman was ‘stalked by drone’ for eight miles in ‘unnerving ordeal’ – but police were ‘unable to help’
A WOMAN claimed to have been stalked by a drone for eight miles in an "unnerving ordeal" - but police were "unable to help."
Mary Dunham spotted a drone following her last week, as she drove to a gas station and then to her home in Gorham, Maine.
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She called police prior to completing her drive.
The drone was spotted when Mary looked up at a tree line and saw a "really bright star."
But when she realized it wasn't a star, she recalled saying: "Oh no, I think it's a drone and it's following me."
Mary told News Center Maine: “The officer arrived and said, ‘Yeah, I see it. I don’t know what to tell you though. We can’t do too much.'"
But the following day the "stalker" drone returned and followed Mary eight miles to her brother's home in Standish.
Mary called police and stayed on the phone with them while the drone followed her.
However, when police arrived at a parking lot in Standish to meet Mary, the drone continued to look over them for more than 20 minutes, reported.
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Mary, who is concerned for her privacy, said: “I don’t know how long they’ve been watching, or why they’re doing it.
“It could be my neighbor, and I wouldn’t know.”
Gorham Deputy Chief Michael Nault told News Center Maine that the drone episode was “out of the norm" and "unusual."
According to the Portland Press Herland, Maine isn't included in the list of states that have laws making drones illegal when they violate a person's reasonable expectation of privacy.
Mary shared 's story to Facebook on January 23 and wrote: "Hopefully it'll bring some awareness to the problem.
"I found out that I'm not alone that this has happened to other people in my town."
Deputy Chief Nault has reached out to the FAA to see if the drone's pilot can be identified.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, drones need to be registered and cannot fly around airports where the agency controls airspace.
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Basic recreational drone rules also state that drones must be clearly marked with an FAA registration number, they need to be flown under 400 feet in an "uncontrolled space," and they cannot be operated from a moving vehicle unless with special permission.
More than 1.5 million drones are registered nationwide, two-thirds of which are for recreational use, the FAA says.
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