Judge to Decide Whether Teen and Dad Must Give Drone Info to FAA

A judge in New Haven could decide today whether a Clinton teen and his father must comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s inquiry into drones after Austin Haughwout garnered national attention by posting a YouTube video of a drone firing a gun in his backyard.  

Last fall, the FAA subpoenaed the Haughwouts for information about the drones that Austin Haughwout said he made himself. The video of the gun-shooting drone generated millions of views. The other drone had a flame thrower. 

The Haughwouts have refused to comply with the subpoenas, claiming they violate the family’s protection against unreasonable search and seizures. 

Mario Cerame is his name. 
“The FAA wouldn’t be involved. And neither 3 and a half million hits on a Youtube video nor the use of a gun on one’s own property are the purview of the FAA”

“The FAA wouldn’t be involved and neither  -- 3-and a half million hits on a YouTube video nor the use of a gun on one’s own property are the purview of the FAA,” the Haughwouts' attorney, Mario Cerame, said outside court.

The decision today could set the tone for the FAA's ability to regulate consumer and recreational drones. 

Austin Haughwout was arrested last week on child porn charges. Authorities said they found inappropriate images on his cell phone and evidence that he was trying to solicit a minor for a sex act. That case is still pending.

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