Ohio Governor Mike DeWine addressed the ongoing mystery surrounding drone sightings in multiple counties
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine addressed the ongoing mystery surrounding drone sightings in multiple counties where farms are dealing with an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza , or bird flu. Ohio Gov.
Mike DeWine addressed the ongoing mystery surrounding drone sightings in multiple counties where farms are dealing with an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza , or bird flu. The governor said he and other leaders discussed the drones reported over Mercer and Darke counties in western Ohio, but still had no more answers than when the reports of drones first peaked. Now, he's calling on Congress to take action. In late January, Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman reported a "significant" number of sightings in his county and contacted other government agencies. "We have asked several state and federal agencies if any government group would have been flying drones, and at this point, the answer has been no," Timmerman said. "That’s not to say we have spoken with all state and federal agencies. We have worked closely with many politicians at the state and federal level, and many of them are inquiring about this as well. To my knowledge, they have all been told 'no.'" ABC 6 has learned that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife has a drone program in development, but it has not yet been deployed. The Ohio Department of Agriculture told ABC 6 that it does not use drones, and the USDA confirmed that the drones spotted in Ohio did not belong to them. This would rule out the use of unmanned aerial systems for the surveillance and tracking of infectious disease in birds using thermal imaging and other emerging techniques. Timmerman pointed out that the county's concentration of chicken and egg farms significantly increases the chances of a drone being spotted near a farm.During an update on the bird flu this week, DeWine responded to a reporter's question about the sightings. "I don’t know any more than you do," he said. "I hear the same things. I’ve talked to the sheriff, and I’ve talked to some of the producers here who have reported all the drone sightings they’ve seen.""The technology of drones, the advancement of drones—this is something that Congress has to take up," DeWine said. "This would be a good opportunity for Congress to hold hearings from a security point of view."Langley AFB, March 2024: Large drones were spotted over the base for weeks. Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly told The Wall Street Journal that at least one of the drones was “roughly 20 feet long and flying at more than 100 miles an hour, at an altitude of roughly 3,000 to 4,000 feet.” Other drones followed, one by one, sounding in the distance like a parade of lawnmowers. New Jersey Drone Sightings, November and December 2024: Large drones were reported over military and civilian areas for several weeks. The White House later announced that the aircraft had FAA approval to fly. Wright-Patterson AFB Airspace Shutdown, December 2024: The base shut down its airspace after reporting sightings of multiple drones in the vicinity. The airspace remained closed for four hours between Dec. 13 and Dec. 14. Indiana Sightings Near Poultry Farms, December 2024: Indiana's Department of Homeland Security issued a warning to the public after multiple drone reports near poultry farms, including one that landed on a building. IDHS warned recreational pilots that they risk spreading avian influenza and also cautioned citizens against shooting down unidentified aircraft. To date, there has been no explanation for the sightings. While the number of "mystery drone" sightings has fallen considerably across the U.S., witnesses can still report illegal or suspicious activity to local law enforcement.
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