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Cape Man County man charged in shooting of drone

Prosecutors charged a 33-year-old Cape May County man in the shooting down of a drone with a shotgun.

Russell Percenti allegedly shot at the remote-control aircraft as it flew over his neighbor's home on the 1000 block of Seaside Drive in Erma, Lower Township, in September of last year, according to the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office.

Leonard Helbig, the owner of the drone, claimed that he was flying the device over his friend's home on Sept. 26, 2014, to snap aerial photos of home construction. As he operated the aircraft he said he heard several gunshot blasts and then lost control of the device before it fell out of the sky, according to the prosecutor's office.

When he recovered the device, he found it littered with holes. Helbig directed police toward Percenti's adjacent backyard, where Helbig believed the blasts originated. Upon inspection, police recovered and seized Percenti's shotgun, court documents show.

A county grand jury recommended Tuesday that Percenti be charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and criminal mischief. If convicted, he faces between 18 months and 10 years in state prison.