No Charges for White House Drone Pilot

Spy agency hasn't punished him for crash
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 19, 2015 4:31 AM CDT
Updated Mar 19, 2015 6:40 AM CDT
No Charges for White House Drone Pilot
Secret Service officers search the south grounds of the White House in Washington after the drone was found.    (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Sounds like spy agency worker Shawn Usman has some very understanding bosses: Federal authorities have decided not to pursue charges against the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee for crashing a drone on the White House grounds while off-duty and intoxicated earlier this year, and the NGA says it has taken no action against him, CNN reports. Senior Secret Service agents had wanted Usman to be charged over the incident, according to the New York Times, which notes that he may not have gotten off completely scot-free: The FAA is investigating the drone crash and he could be fined. Usman's lawyer says his client wants to apologize to everyone affected by the "inadvertent and completely unintentional" incident and will cooperate fully with the FAA probe. (More Secret Service stories.)

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