Man Accused Of Flying Drone Near Washington Monument

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. Park Police say they've cited a Virginia man who was flying a drone near the Washington Monument.

Police said in a news release Thursday that three people were flying a drone on the monument grounds Wednesday. Officers ordered the operator to land it.

Police say officers issued 24-year-old William Stokes Jr. of Manassas, Virginia, a citation for operation of an unmanned aircraft, then confiscated the Wondertech Zenith. Stokes did not appear to have a listed number.

Washington and communities within a 15-mile radius of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are part of a "No Drone Zone" adopted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Officials said this was the 10th incident involving the illegal operation of an unmanned aircraft in a national park in the Washington area in 2015.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)