Union County authorities use drone equipped with infrared to track down suspects

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — The Union County Sheriff’s Office used a drone on Saturday night to track down a woman wanted for felony assault and a man wanted in a separate crime.

A witness told Monroe Police a woman hit a man in front of her car. According to an incident report provided by law enforcement, the woman was driving away from a gas pump when she hit a pedestrian in front of her car. Monroe PD learned the pedestrian was holding onto the vehicle when the driver slammed on her brakes. The pedestrian hit the back of his head on the ground after launching off the vehicle.

Deputies said the woman and the man in the car wanted on other charges drove into Marshville, abandoned the car, and ran off.

it was unclear where they went, so the sheriff’s office used a drone to track them down.

Deputies gave Channel 9′s Erika Jackson an inside look at the technology used to fight crime.

Operators fly the drone while an observer watches its activity on a screen.

While doing those tasks, they will direct deputies who are patrolling the scene.

The lead of the Union County Sheriff’s Office drone program said standard imaging works during the day. However, infrared technology is vital in the dark.

“When you’re in the dark, obviously you can only see so far in front of you,” said Deputy Cory Weiss, a crime scene investigator. “You can only go so far with a flashlight, as well. So when we can put technology like this in the air and we can use that infrared. It gives you a really good idea of what you’re looking at. What you’re looking for.”

Deputies said they’re working on training a drone operator for each patrol squad, so they can get a bird’s eye view faster on more cases.

They also use drones to find missing people, search and rescue and photograph scenes.

The sheriff’s office has been using drone technology for almost five years.

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