UPDATE 6:00 p.m.– When police arrived at Stacy Rodgers house, officers say she admitted firing three rounds at a drone, trying to shoot it down. However, it wasn’t a drone…but a manned aircraft.
“So last night we were doing our second round of aerial spray work as it relates to mosquitoes,” said Shannon Rider, Director of Ouachita Parish Mosquito Abatement District.
The Mosquito Abatement District says it notified Ouachita Parish residents ahead of time to make sure they knew what was happening.
“48 hours or more in advanced, 24 hours in advance and then the day of, so we do try and keep everybody abreast of what’s going on,” said Rider.
The district contracts out to Clarke Environmental Mosquito Control for aerial spraying. The company says none of the bullets hit the plane.
“We were informed once our pilot landed by the local authorities that this incident had transpired, they were not aware at the time as far as I know,” said Laura Mcgowan, Spokes Person for Clarke Environmental Mosquito Control.
But after learning what happened- they say the crew was a little shaken up.
These planes fly at 300 feet, which is pretty low to the ground. For comparison, it’s a little higher than tree level.
Rodgers was arrested and charged with illegal use of a weapon, but is out after paying a 500 dollar bond.
“A lot of folks we have on the ground they’ve been doing this for more than 30 years and this is the first time they’ve ever encountered something like this,” said Mcgowan.
Residents are encouraged to call their local non emergency police line if they see an aircraft that may look suspicious.
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MONROE, La. (KTVE/KARD) — A Monroe woman has been arrested and charged with Illegal Use of Weapons after police say she shot at a ‘drone’ that turned out to be an airplane.
According to arrest reports for 40-year-old Stacey Nguyen Rodgers, deputies with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department were called to a home on Joe White Road to investigate suspicious activity around 12:30 AM on Wednesday.
According to Rodgers, a ‘drone’ was flying over her property and she shot at it three times with a revolver in an attempt to shoot it down. Three empty shell casings were found by deputies at the scene.
A witness captured the aircraft on cell phone video, but it showed that the aircraft was actually a manned airplane flying over the property.
Reports say that in the video Rodgers could be heard saying, “He’s coming back to taunt us,” and could be heard talking about shooting at the airplane.
Deputies later discovered that the airplane was in the area spraying for mosquitoes.
Rodgers was booked into the Ouachita Correctional Center but recently bonded out.
