For weeks now, Liberty County residents have reported an unusual uptick in nighttime drone activity, with sightings documented across the area and neighboring regions. Readers of Bluebonnet News, through Bluebonnet News’ Facebook page, have shared their observations, describing clusters of drones flying in synchronized patterns and hovering above rural and residential neighborhoods.
The mysterious surge in drone flights has sparked curiosity and concern among community members.
Stephanie Danley shared her experience, saying, “There were about eight of them flying over by where the new skate park is, about an hour ago. It looked like they were going from 787 toward the high school.”
Angie Moore also reported a sighting: “Yes, two in Thicket on Monday, the 25th, around 7 p.m. Pulled up flight radar immediately and no planes were shown to be over our area.”
Katie Stanley, of Dayton, described a dramatic scene: “They were quiet so wasn’t helicopters. Almost looked like plane or stars until you see them moving with the red and yellow lights flashing. Over my apartment we counted a minimum of 15 and this was right in middle of town in Dayton around 7:30-8 p.m. last night and they were circling and hovering for over an hour. They were definitely drones.”
Angie Amyx of Hardin added, “My daughters saw 4 over our house and several neighbors’ homes on [CR] 2099 last night. They were there for quite a while and were hovering over the houses and barns. They had anti-collision lights and occasionally round lights appeared.”
Lea Ann Chalfant said, “Seen several last night driving home from Baytown — at first I thought it was airplanes but then realized it definitely wasn’t.”
David Lott, of Moss Hill, joked about the phenomenon: “The movie Terminator coming to life. Machines are slowly taking over and now with artificial intelligence… it’s only a matter of time.”
Another reader quipped that the drones were part of an effort to scout out new locations for Dollar General stores.
While the exact purpose of these drones remains unclear, speculation ranges from governmental or commercial operations to private hobbyist activity. Drone use has grown exponentially in recent years, serving functions such as aerial photography, delivery services, and even law enforcement surveillance. However, without official confirmation about the recent flights, questions remain unanswered.
Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader said his office hasn’t had any official reports of unusual drone activity.
“We’re aware of the concerns and encourage residents to report any suspicious or unusual drone activity to the Federal Aviation Agency,” said Rader. “Drones must comply with FAA regulations, including restrictions on flying over certain areas and maintaining appropriate altitudes.”
When asked if people have the right to shoot down the mysterious objects, Rader expressed a warning.
“People do not have the right to shoot down a drone. It is a federal offense,” the sheriff said.
Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines, drone operators are required to register their equipment and follow strict protocols to ensure safety and privacy. Violations of these rules can result in stiff penalties. However, determining who is operating the drones has proven challenging.
Some residents suspect the drones are part of commercial operations, such as utility inspections or mapping projects. Companies often use drones for tasks like surveying pipelines, monitoring power lines, or collecting geospatial data. Others worry about potential privacy infringements, expressing concerns that the drones could be equipped with cameras capturing footage of private properties.
National media outlets had largely overlooked the sightings until recently, when similar reports surfaced along the eastern seaboard. During a White House briefing Thursday, Dec. 12, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said federal investigators have been unable to verify any of 3,000-plus reports of car-size drones patrolling the nighttime skies in recent weeks. He suggested that most claims of mysterious drones are actually people mistaking them for helicopters or airplanes that are legally flying.
“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The Department of Homeland Security and FBI are investigating these sightings and are working closely with state and local law enforcement to provide resources, using numerous detection methods to better understand their origin. Using very sophisticated electronic detection technologies provided by federal authorities, we have not been able to, and neither have state or local law enforcement authorities, corroborated any of the reported visual sightings. To the contrary, upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft being operated lawfully,” Kirby told reporters.
“We certainly take seriously the threat that can be posed by unmanned aircraft systems, which is why law enforcement and other agencies continue to support New Jersey and investigate the reports, even though they have uncovered no malicious activity,” Kirby added.
Bluebonnet News will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any unusual drone activity to the FAA.
Hilarious😂😂
Some of them may be scoping for stuff to steal 🤔 then what? Nothing??
Who defines what a citizens private air space is? The US has designated private air space. Do the citizens?
So another time liberty county does not protect its citizens. Another time we’re just supposed to put up with whatever crap comes at us and say thank you very much we like getting screwed. Anyone anything except the citizens of this county is more important. And if you can’t see that I feel for you
If you shoot one down remember this statement. “I was in fear of my life”. People we ARE allowed to defend our property, home, family and yourself with deadly force if needed.
People please don’t take the previous person’s advice. It will get you in trouble .
People please don’t take the governments advice. They don’t give a shit about you. Especially liberty county LEOs. They have never cared. I wouldn’t rely on the government or cops to open a bubble gum pack for me.
Liberty County Sheriff’s Office?
https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/cleveland/news/article/LCSO-expands-drone-program-with-new-pilots-14096428.php
They are watching young girls
Trump says shoot them down. Probably belong to the cartels that law enforcement has done little about in the Colony Ridge colonia.
Students training
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDtAF6QPjdS/?igsh=MTBncHBlZGJzZDVqeQ==
Some.delusional hock watching a neighbor’s fat, nude teenage daughter sunbathing.