Bay Area man arrested for allegedly flying drone over, photographing Vandenberg Space Force Base

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A Brentwood man has been arrested for allegedly flying a drone over and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base, according to the Department of Justice.

Yinpiao Zhou, 39, was arrested Monday at San Francisco International Airport before boarding a China-bound flight and made his initial court appearance in San Francisco on Tuesday.

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Zhou is charged with failure to register an aircraft not providing transportation and violation of national defense airspace.

"This defendant allegedly flew a drone over a military base and took photos of the base's layout, which is against the law," said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. "The security of our nation is of paramount importance and my office will continue to promote the safety of our nation's military personnel and facilities."

According to court documents, on Nov. 30, drone detection systems at Vandenberg detected a drone flying about a mile above ground level over the base for nearly an hour. The system was able to determine the drone was being operated from a nearby park and base security personnel went to investigate. They found Zhou and another person accompanying him at the park. Zhou was hiding a drone in his jacket - the same one that flew over the base.

Later, agents served a search warrant on Zhou's drone and found several photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base taken from an aerial viewpoint.

Justice Department officials say that Zhou is a Chinese citizen and is a lawful resident of the United States. As for the person who was with Zhou at the park, they most recently entered the United States from China on Nov. 26.

If convicted, Zhou would face a statutory maximum sentence of four years in federal prison.

The FBI is investigating this incident.