A Central Florida man was sentenced for shooting a law enforcement drone.
34-year-old Justin Tyler Kress, of Eustis in Lake County, was sentenced by United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber to 15 months in federal prison for the attempted destruction of an aircraft (law enforcement drone). The court also ordered Kress to pay $8,200 in restitution.
According to court documents, on March 4, 2025, Kress shot and damaged a drone belonging to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies had been using the drone to conduct physical surveillance of Kress on his rural, multi-acre property as they attempted to arrest him on a warrant for felony criminal mischief.
Kress had told his neighbors earlier that he would shoot at law enforcement officers if they tried to arrest him for damaging nearby fences.
After taking Justin Kress into custody, deputies obtained a search warrant and located 20-gauge shotgun shells in the area where Kress had been shooting at the drone. Inside the residence, they found three firearms: a 20-gauge shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol.
This Central Florida case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos. Kress pleaded guilty on May 26, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregroy W. Kehoe made the announcement.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe.
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