South OC Man Pleads Guilty To Flying Drones Near Aircraft

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A Laguna Beach man pleaded guilty Thursday to flying drones near three aircrafts, court records show.

Alexander Milinovic, 62, pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft, federal prosecutors said. He was scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 28.

According to the Orange County Register, Milinovic directed a drone toward a father and son in an open cockpit gyrocopter off the coast of Crescent Beach Bay in Laguna Beach.

According to the newspaper, he also admitted to launching a drone on July 26, 2022, toward a Discovery Channel “Shark Week” blimp near Laguna Beach.

Milinovic also pleaded guilty to flying a drone toward a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on March 19.

No further information was immediately available.