Men suspected of flying drones near Logan plead not guilty to trespassing

Two men accused of flying a drone too close to Logan Airport over the weekend pleaded not guilty to trespassing charges in Dorchester District Court on Monday.

Robert Duffy, 42, of Charlestown and Jeremy Folcik, 32, of Bridgewater were ordered to stay away from Long Island and to not operate drones while they await trial.

Police found the two men on Long Island in Boston Harbor after monitoring equipment spotted the drone activity on Saturday, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden's office. Duffy reportedly said he had been flying the drone, which was in his backpack. The pair reportedly told officers a third man brought them to the island by boat, but police were unable to find him.

Attorney Michael Martin, who represents Duffy, said the men voluntarily turned over the drone to the authorities. He said Duffy and Folcik were taking photos of buildings because they work in restoring abandoned properties.

But the men ran headlong into concerns following a surge of reports about possible drone use across the Northeast in recent days, with sightings from New Jersey to Cape Cod, Martin said.

“It just appears to be something that … wouldn’t have been anything on the public’s radar if we were not having the big outcries going down in New Jersey,” he said.

He compared the men’s drone to “toys” that could be found at a Target store. He said the drone Duffy and Folcik used had “built-in software” that would not allow the device to go above 196 feet.

Their next court date is scheduled for February.

“There are many areas in Massachusetts to safely operate drones. But flying them from an area closed to the public while creating a potential public safety hazard in the process is conduct that will land people in court to answer to criminal charges, which is exactly what happened here," Hayden, the D.A., said in a statement.

Long Island has a number of shuttered buildings that used to provide services to the homeless and those battling drug addiction. The buildings were abandoned a decade ago, when the Long Island bridge was shut down.

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan Airport,  told WBUR that drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems, can be dangerous for airport operations or cause delays.

Massport's website says unauthorized drones are prohibited from flying over “critical infrastructure” like airports and maritime terminals.