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Woman forced to pay damages after throwing rocks at neighbor's drone

By Daniel Uria
Martina Wlodarsky agreed to pay $600 after damaging her neighbor Mark Shock's drone with a rock while it was flying across her driveway. 
 Photo by Frank Polich/UPI
Martina Wlodarsky agreed to pay $600 after damaging her neighbor Mark Shock's drone with a rock while it was flying across her driveway. Photo by Frank Polich/UPI | License Photo

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SPRINGDALE, Pa., Nov. 25 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania court ruled that a woman must pay damages after throwing rocks at her neighbor's drone in August.

Sixty-five-year-old Martina Wlodarsky of Springdale, Pa., agreed to pay $600 after damaging her neighbor Mark Shock's drone while it flew across her driveway.

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Wlodarsky claimed she threw "driveway gravel" at the drone in self defense when she spotted the aircraft while investigating a strange sound outside her window.

"It sounded like a weed-wacker or something coming at me at eye level. I didn't have a choice. No one told me it was under control," Wlodarsky said.

Shock was attempting to land the drone after a 17-minute flight, but the impact of the rock caused the drone to become unresponsive to his controls.

He told WPXI that the damage caused the drone to become "an out of control three and a half pound flying lawn mower."

Shock reached between the propellers to try to turn the machine off, when two blades flew off the drone and nearly struck him in the face.

"It got really gnarly for a while," Shock said. "If the propellers hit someone in the face or neck, someone would be seriously hurt."

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Despite agreeing to pay for the damages and having the charges dropped, Wlodarsky expressed distress with the process of being charged.

"I have criminal charges against me. I was out on bond. I'm 65. I had to get fingerprinted," she said.

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