TAFT, La. (WVUE) - Two men from Brooklyn, New York were arrested last week for flying a drone over three chemical plants in St. Charles Parish, according to information provided by the sheriff’s office.
Volodymyr Dorogobid, 38, and Tigran Avetisyan, 39, were booked on three counts of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system and also for obstruction of justice for tampering with evidence.
After the pair were arrested on Feb. 21, the sheriff’s office says that detectives determined that they had flown the drone over three chemical plants by reviewing the device’s flight plan. Detectives say the flight plan displayed that the drone clearly flew over Dow Chemical, Linde, and American Air Liquide.
On the day of the arrest, the sheriff’s office said that they received a call about the drone and found the two men parked on the side of the road on LA 3142 in a black Kia Sportage. The drone was in mid-flight when deputies arrived and the two had operational controls in hand at the time.
The sheriff’s office said that deputies on the scene told the men to land their drone and retrieve it from the nearby levee. However, the suspects place the drone in a bag and refused to show the drone to officers and answer questions.
Following the arrest, Dorogobid told investigators that he and Avetisyan had hidden a drone in a field.
The sheriff’s office says that authorities seized all of the equipment the two men had on their person and in their car. They also said they are working with the FBI to recover information.
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Volodymyr Dorogobid, 38, and Tigran Avetisyan, 39, were booked on three counts of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system and also for obstruction of justice for tampering with evidence.
After the pair were arrested on Feb. 21, the sheriff’s office says that detectives determined that they had flown the drone over three chemical plants by reviewing the device’s flight plan. Detectives say the flight plan displayed that the drone clearly flew over Dow Chemical, Linde, and American Air Liquide.
On the day of the arrest, the sheriff’s office said that they received a call about the drone and found the two men parked on the side of the road on LA 3142 in a black Kia Sportage. The drone was in mid-flight when deputies arrived and the two had operational controls in hand at the time.
The sheriff’s office said that deputies on the scene told the men to land their drone and retrieve it from the nearby levee. However, the suspects place the drone in a bag and refused to show the drone to officers and answer questions.
Following the arrest, Dorogobid told investigators that he and Avetisyan had hidden a drone in a field.
The sheriff’s office says that authorities seized all of the equipment the two men had on their person and in their car. They also said they are working with the FBI to recover information.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.
Copyright 2023 WVUE. All rights reserved.
Two arrested for flying drone over chemical plants in St. Charles Parish
Volodymyr Dorogobid, 38, and Tigran Avetisyan, 39, both of Brooklyn, New York, were booked on three counts of unlawful use of an unmanned aircraft system and also for obstruction of justice for tampering with evidence.
www.wafb.com 
