Remote-control helicopter stuck in statue atop Marion courthouse, will just leave it there

MARION, Ohio — It’s kind of hard to see 100 feet up there but, yes, that is a helicopter cradled in Lady Justice’s arm.

From her perch atop the Marion County Courthouse, she still holds tightly to her scales and her sword. But she now also is the guardian of a wayward, remote-controlled helicopter with an attached camera.

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The county commissioners say they won’t foot the bill for a crane, and they don’t think the helicopter owner’s suggestion to have someone rappel from a real chopper and snatch the miniature one off is, well, very realistic or worthwhile.

The courthouse bell tower has a structure mainly made of wire, so no one can scale it.

“It looks like we’re going to leave it up there,” County Commissioner Ken Stiverson said yesterday. “It’s a little bizarre.”

Terry Cline, a 57-year-old Marion native and videographer who owns Challenge Productions, said he has about $1,500 invested in what is commonly called a drone helicopter. Though it is remote-controlled, it’s sophisticated: It can fly as high as 900 feet and is GPS-equipped. With the camera, Cline can take still photographs and record or watch real-time video.

He said he was working on a promotional video about the city when the chopper got snagged by the wind: “It was like Lady Justice was a magnet and just sucked it in.”

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http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/05/02/Marion-courthouse-helicopter.html