No Charges for Flyer|of White House Drone

(CN) - No charges will be filed against the man who flew a drone onto the White House grounds in January, federal prosecutors in Washington said Wednesday.

The investigation conducted by the U.S. Secret Service determined that the unidentified man was flying a borrowed quadcopter drone around his Washington, D.C., apartment the evening of Jan. 25 and into the early morning hours of Jan. 26.

During an interview with authorities, the man said he was still flying the drone at about 3 a.m. on Jan. 26, when he lost control of it in the vicinity of 10th Street NW. The man said the drone was flying about 100 feet above the ground, and that it started heading in a westerly direction.

He reportedly said he then went home and went to bed and didn't know where the drone went down until he saw news reports about it landing on the White House lawn.

He then voluntarily called the Secret Service and informed it that he had been flying the drone, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Speaking to ABC News later the same day, the owner of drone defended his friend, blaming its Chinese manufacturer for the mishap.

"It just goes rogue," the owner said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "It goes where it wants."

A forensic investigation performed as part of the investigation showed the drown was not under the control of an operators when it flew onto the White House grounds.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it is continuing to review the incident.

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