A great shot led a Lake County man to getting a $29,000 fine and up to 10 years in federal prison.
Wendell D. Goney, 52, the Lake County man who shot down a police drone using a .22-caliber rifle in 2021, pleaded guilty Friday to possessing a firearm as a felon.
His plea deal includes a damages payment of $29,034 to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and up to 10 years in prison.
Goney had 29 previous felony convictions, including grand theft and assault, and has served time in prison. Florida statutes prohibit convicted felons from owning firearms. Goney confessed to illegally owning the rifle when deputies confronted him, according to court records.
Deputies responded to a possible burglary at a property in Mount Dora, Florida, next door to Goney’s home, July 11, 2021. To help with the search, they deployed a drone to survey the area.
They then heard gunshots from nearby and saw the drone fall from the sky.
Following the sound of the gunshot, the deputies approached Goney, who was shirtless and holding a cigarette between his lips in his front yard, according to body camera footage. At first, he denied responsibility.
“I wasn’t shooting no drone,” he repeated twice, according to body camera footage.
When deputies told him the drone carried a camera, he remained silent, shaking his head and sighing, according to body camera footage. Goney then admitted to shooting the drone and claimed it was harassing him, court records write.
“Why in the f--- are they doing this to me?” Goney said when confronted by police.
A deputy explained they were investigating the property next door and took down Goney’s name, according to the body camera footage. After running his name through a criminal history search, they discovered his past felony convictions, according to court records.
The sheriff’s office seized Goney’s rifle, a Harrington and Richardson Model 700 .22-caliber rifle, and its accompanying ammunition.
The drone was reduced to a blackened chunk of metal after it fell out of the sky, hit a metal roof and caught fire. Police found what was left of it on the ground, according to body camera footage.
The sheriff’s office valued the drone at $29,034. A new drone of the same brand, a DJI Matrice 300, is currently listed as worth $13,000, according to the manufacturer’s website.
A Florida policy,instituted in April, outlaws the use of DJI and other Chinese-produced drones by government agencies, meaning the sheriff’s office will likely replace the drone with a different and possibly more expensive American-made one.
Goney’s sentencing date hasn’t yet been set. His case unfolded in Ocala, Florida, at a federal courthouse for the middle district of Florida.
This case is part of a larger effort between the US Department of Justice and local branches of the US Attorney’s Office to combat violent crime, known as Project Safe Neighborhoods.
___
This is a breaking news story. Check back for further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.