Gyrocopter Pilot Appears In Court; Judge Bans Him From D.C.

Posted by timothy on Friday April 17, 2015 @08:24AM from the but-what-if-air-&-space-gets-the-copter? dept.

mpicpp writes The Florida mail carrier accused of landing a gyrocopter outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday was charged in federal court Thursday and has been barred from returning to the District of Columbia or flying any aircraft, officials said. Douglas Hughes, 61, was charged with violating aircraft registration requirements, a felony, and violating national defense airspace, a misdemeanor. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to three years in prison for the felony and one year in prison for the airspace violation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson also barred Hughes from the District of Columbia, except for court appearances, and said he must stay away from the Capitol, White House and nearby areas while he is there. He will also have to hand over his passport.

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Re:Are things back to normal now? by amiga3D · 2015-04-17 09:05 · Score: 0, Offtopic

I can't believe no one shot him as he came over the fence. What the fuck is wrong with White House security? We shouldn't need a trial if they'd plugged him like they should have. Now they'll spend 50 million dollars on a media circus and then the taxpayers will get to keep his ass up for 4 years.