SANTA ANA, California
An Orange County man pleaded guilty this week to federal criminal charges for unsafely operating a drone aircraft on several occasions, officials stated.
According to authorities, This includes flying it near a United States Coast Guard helicopter in mid-flight off the coast of Laguna Beach.
Alexander Milinovic, 62, of Laguna Beach, plead guilty to three misdemeanor counts of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft.
According to his plea agreement, Milinovic unsafely operated a drone thrice from June 2022 to March 2023.
On June 19, 2022, Milinovic launched his drone at a father and son who were flying an open-cockpit gyrocopter on Father’s Day.
Milinovic flew the unmanned aircraft to within 10 to 20 feet of the gyrocopter, which was off the coast of Crescent Bay Beach in Laguna Beach, which caused the son, who was operating the gyrocopter, to make an emergency course correction to avoid striking the drone and crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
On July 26, 2022, Milinovic launched a drone and flew it next to a Discovery Channel “Shark Week” blimp flying at an altitude between 500 and 1,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean in the Laguna Beach area.
The blimp’s pilot estimated the drone to be in line with hitting the blimp, causing him to navigate a life-threatening emergency crash landing.
On March 19, 2023, four Coast Guard flight crew members were flying a rescue helicopter about 200 to 300 feet above sea level in Laguna Beach. Milinovic launched a drone and flew it directly at the Coast Guard helicopter, coming to within 200 feet of it.
The crew maneuvered the helicopter away from the drone, fearing it would hit their tail rotor and cause it to crash into the Pacific Ocean.
Law enforcement was notified in November 2022 of videos posted on the TikTok social media application that showed Milinovic’s drone flying dangerously close to aircraft.
U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter scheduled a Nov. 28 sentencing hearing. Milinovic faces up to a year in federal prison for each count.
The FBI and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigated this matter as part of the Joint Terrorism Task Force with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration and the United States Coast Guard.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Waier of the Santa Ana Branch Office is prosecuting this case.