Drones sighted in Jay

Drone sightings have been reported in Jay County, Mercer County and the surrounding areas.

Local officials are working with federal agencies on how to handle the situation.

Jay County emergency management and law enforcement officials met Wednesday morning with representatives from the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration, Indiana Department of Homeland Security and the military to discuss the drone activity in the area. 

Another meeting was planned for Wednesday afternoon.

“Are we having drone sightings? Absolutely,” said Jay County Sheriff Ray Newton on Wednesday morning. “Are they going around the turkey farms and chicken farms? Yes, they are.

“That I am aware of, they are doing nothing wrong as of yet. They’re not violating airspace. So that’s basically where we’re at as far as law enforcement.”

“At this point, we are not aware of them doing anything in violation of their rights in the airspace,” said Jay County Emergency Management Agency director Samantha Rhodehamel.

Both warned that no attempts should be made to shoot down drones. According to a press release from Jay County EMA, it is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison to “damage, destroy, disable, or wreck any aircraft.”

Sonrise Aviation, based at Portland Municipal Airport, made a similar request, noting that its aircraft and pilots fly in and out of the facility at all hours.

Reports about drones in the area started in Mercer County, with Sheriff Doug Timmerman issuing a press release Monday evening. They have since followed in Jay County, as well as Adams, Blackford and Darke counties.

Newton said some of his deputies observed the drones. He added that it is unclear from where they are being operated. 

Rhodehamel and some of her staff have observed them as well.

“What I have seen is just a dark object, and then it has the red, or some of them have the green, flashing lights on them,” she said, adding that sightings have been spread across the county.

She said she is uncomfortable estimating the size of the drones.

Officials in Jay and Mercer counties have asked that, for safety reasons, residents not try to chase drones.

Those who see drones are asked to report the information by calling (260) 726-8188 in Jay County and (419) 568-7724 in Mercer County with the time and location of the sightings. Anyone who takes videos or photos should send them to Jay County EMA at [email protected].

Newton said he was hopeful to have more information by Wednesday evening.

“We’ll try to figure it out,” he said. “We’re not trying to ignore it. It’s just, we’ve never had this problem before.”

“We are aware here locally, the state and the federal partners are all aware,” said Rhodehamel. “We’re trying to get a plan of action together. … That’s what we’ve been working on this morning.”

The drone sightings are not limited to east central Indiana and west central Ohio. 

During a briefing this morning, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued the following statement that she said had just been shared with her by President Donald Trump regarding drones in New Jersey:

“After research and study, the drones that were flying over New Jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the FAA for research and various other reasons. 

“Many of these drones were also hobbyists — recreational and private individuals that enjoy flying drones.  In the meanti-   time, it got worse, due to curiosity.  This was not the enemy.”

NBC News this week reported similar sightings from Connecticut to New Jersey, as well as in Virginia. It said a research lab studying “unidentified phenomena” has counted 650 sightings nationally since November.

The FAA’s website says reports of unmanned aircraft are high and that it receives more than 100 such reports near airports each month. It issued a statement last month about the ongoing drone sightings. It read, in part:

“Having closely examined the technical data and tips from concerned citizens, we assess that the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones. We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast.”

For the full statement, go to bit.ly/FAAdroneDec2024.