Drone helicopter stuck atop a 100 foot statue of Lady Justice

Photographer was taking aerial footage when helicopter got stuck

MARION, Ohio – A photographer in Ohio lost his $1,500 camera after the drone it was attached to got stuck atop a Lady Liberty statue on the Marion County courthouse.

Terry Cline was using the drone to take aerial footage of the city of Marion, Ohio when it got caught in some wind and hit the sword on the statue.

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Authorities were informed of the 7-pound, 9-inch remote–controlled drone incident and a small controversy erupted in the north-central Ohio town.

At issue was who is responsible for retrieving the device, how it would be removed and who would pay for the removal.

"It may sit up there for a long time because we are not spending county dollars," Commissioner Andy Appelfeller told the Marion Star. "We'd certainly like to have it down, without a doubt, but I don't think it's the public, their obligation to get it down."

County commissioners said they certainly weren't going to risk having someone lowered from a real helicopter to retrieve it, and the courthouse roof was too unstable for anyone to walk on it.

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The entire hullabaloo ended Saturday when volunteers hung out the top floor windows of the courthouse and snatched it with a long pole.

The camera and drone are working just fine. Lady Liberty is back to normal - sans drone.