LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A man arrested Wednesday in Lake County is accused of rendering thousands of dollars in damage to a drone that he shot as it attempted to make a delivery for Walmart.
Dennis Winn, 72, faces charges of shooting or throwing a deadly missile into dwellings, vessels, or vehicles, criminal mischief above $1,000, and discharging a firearm in public or on residential property, records show.
Walmart in 2022 announced it was rolling out drone deliveries in Florida via DroneUp — a Virginia-based commercial drone services company that partnered with the supermarket giant in 2021 — penning a news release to express hopes the effort would “influence the expansion of drone technology and enable other businesses to explore its benefits.”
According to Winn’s arrest affidavit, a two-man DroneUp crew was at a delivery point in The Overlook at Lake Lousia neighborhood when the shooting occurred. The document noted that the crew was there campaigning for DroneUp, which in this case was to include a proof-of-concept mock delivery to their location. The drone was around 230 feet in the air when it arrived, descending to around 75 feet when one of the crew members heard what they thought was a gunshot, the affidavit states. Both the crew and the drone raced back to the Walmart at U.S. 27 and Johns Lake Road, where deputies responded around 6 p.m. after the crew members reportedly found a bullet hole in the drone’s payload system.
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A deputy made it back to the neighborhood, making contact with Winn in the 11300 block of Lemay Drive and asking if he had any incident with a drone. Winn allegedly said he used a 9mm handgun to shoot a drone that flew over his house as he was working on his pool pump, recounting past experiences with drones that he thought were surveilling him, the affidavit states. While waiting for a transport vehicle, Winn allegedly yelled out to a neighbor that he was going to jail for shooting a drone, according to the affidavit.
The shooting incurred some $2,500 in damage to the drone, with the crew noting business operations would also be impacted due to the aircraft being rendered inoperable, according to the affidavit.
Winn was booked later that evening and released Thursday afternoon after posting a $13,500 bond, records show.
Note: This map depicts the general area where the shooting occurred and not necessarily its exact location.
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