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“Hazardous drone operation” leads to two arrests in Boston
BOSTON – Two people were arrested Saturday night in Boston for what police describe as a “hazardous drone operation.”
Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown, and 32-year-old Jeremy Folcik of Bridgewater were arrested on Long Island in Boston Harbor.
Both men are charged with trespassing. Additional fines or charges could be added, Boston police said.
Boston drone arrests
According to Boston police, an officer spotted an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flying close to Logan Airport. The officer was able to find the drone’s location, altitude, flight history and track the operator to Long Island.
Because the drones were close to the Logan Airport airspace, Boston police worked with Homeland Security, Massachusetts State Police, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Logan Airport Air Traffic Control as part of its investigation.
Three people were found inside the Long Island Health Campus, which is no longer in operation.
When police arrived, they say one of the suspects ran. Duffy and Folcik were taken into custody. Officers said they found a drone inside Duffy’s backpack. The third suspect is believed to have fled the area on a small boat.
Duffy and Folcik are scheduled to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court in the coming days.
Drones in Massachusetts
Boston police reminded the public that recreational drone operators must follow FAA guidelines. Drones cannot be flown over people or vehicles, and operators must follow airspace restrictions.
“Even small drones pose significant risks, including the potential for catastrophic damage to airplanes and helicopters. Near-collisions can cause pilots to veer off course, putting lives and property at risk,” Boston police said in a statement.
Drone sightings were reported for about 30 minutes Thursday night on Cape Cod. People reported seeing drones with flashing red, green and blue lights.
Harwich Police Chief Kevin Considine spoke to WBZ-TV about how difficult it is for local departments to monitor drone sightings.
“They are tough to manage, and that’s why the first thing we did today was just submit our report to our local partners from the federal government and the state police just so they can start looking into it,” Considine said.
Dozens of other drone reports have come in from across Massachusetts, most recently from Marshfield, Natick and Tewksbury.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and state police are working together with local and federal partners, and they’re prepared to support federal authorities with jurisdiction over airspace,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.
New Jersey drones
Mysterious drone sightings have been reported in the skies of New Jersey in recent weeks.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy sent a letter to President Joe Biden, asking for more help from the federal government.
Murphy told Biden the ongoing sightings are raising more questions than answers, adding that people “deserve more concrete information.”
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Washington — Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said Sunday that the entire presidential pardoning process “cries out for reform” following some controversial commutations and pardons made by President Biden, including when the president issued a blanket pardon of his own son, Hunter.
“This whole process cries out for reform because otherwise you undermine the justice system,” Klobuchar said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
The White House announced early Thursday that President Biden was commuting the sentence of nearly 1,500 people, marking the widest reaching clemency granted by a president in a single day. Among the individuals, many of whom had been placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, were some who have sparked controversy in recent days — including a judge involved in a so-called “Kids for Cash” scheme.
Klobuchar interjected that she “did not like that one,” adding that she did not agree with all the pardons and commutations.
“I have no doubt there were some righteous pardons in this group,” Klobuchar said. “But there were a number that I think make no sense at all.”
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Further, she said she didn’t agree with Mr. Biden’s pardon of his son, Hunter, earlier this month.
Klobuchar noted that she has also disagreed with a number of pardons that President-elect Donald Trump made during his first term. And the Minnesota Democrat said that while the pardon ability is part of the Constitution and has a long history that she said wouldn’t be changed, she would advocate for reforms.
“We should have some kind of an outside board that governors have,” she said. “Governors have the ability to give mercy to people after years have gone by, but a lot of them have boards that make recommendations and other things, instead of people just doing it in the middle of the night.”
Klobuchar suggested that over a year-long period, a board could look at individual petitions rather than large groups, which she argued undermines the work of FBI agents and prosecutors who took on the cases.
“Might you want mercy 10 years later?” Klobuchar said. “Yes, you might. But let’s at least look at these on a factual basis and a risk basis, instead of just in the middle of the night a month before a president leaves.”
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