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Encinitas Beachgoer Arrested For Breaking Drone

A beachgoer who tossed a T-shirt into the propellers of a low-flying drone, causing it to crash, was arrested on a felony vandalism charge in Encinitas.

Augustine Lehecka says he considered the drone, which was outfitted with a camera, intrusive and dangerous when it flew over his group of friends on Sunday at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday that the 53-year-old electronics engineer spent about eight hours in jail before posting $10,000 bail. Prosecutors this week declined to press charges.

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In an interview with KNSD-TV, the operator, who works for a drone company and asked to not be named, says he was flying at a safe distance above the crowd and wasn't invading anyone's privacy. He estimates the damage at about $750.