California resident hit with $300,000 fine for illegal fireworks in July 4 crackdown

"In Stanton, an effort to crack down on illegal fireworks on the Fourth of July by using unmanned drones appears to have paid off: The city issued nearly $1 million in illegal fireworks fines, including one $300,000 citation, officials confirmed. Stanton drones reportedly captured $929,000 worth of illegal firework violations, involving 18 citations between July 2 and July 5, according to Stanton City Manager Hannah Shin-Heydorn."

"The city rolled out a Fourth of July drone program this year to catch and fine those engaging in illegal firework activity following the passage of a spring ordinance. At one property, 300 illegal fireworks allegedly were discharged between 6:52 p.m. and 10:10 p.m. on July 4, per a now-deleted photo posted on Reddit of the costly citation, with each violation carrying a $1,000 fine. The $300,000 citation is the largest illegal firework citation by far, Shin-Heydorn said."

"The Southern California News Group requested a copy of the citation that would include details of the $300,000 citation, and where exactly it occurred and who was involved. But Stanton officials said they could not publicly release the document, claiming it first needs to be reviewed by a lawyer and necessary redactions must be made. Verifying each captured instance of illegal firework activity is a lengthy process, said Shin-Heydorn, requiring minute-by-minute review."

Stanton deployed unmanned drones over the Fourth of July weekend to identify illegal fireworks activity under a new spring ordinance. Drones captured 18 incidents between July 2 and July 5 that amounted to $929,000 in alleged violations, leading the city to issue nearly $1 million in fines, including a single $300,000 citation tied to 300 discharged fireworks at one property. Citations are issued under the city's social host ordinance and mailed to property owners, who may appeal. Officials said citation documents require legal review and redactions before release. Verifying drone footage requires minute-by-minute review.

Read at www.ocregister.com