Drone-Gun Clinton Teen Expelled From College

CLINTON, CT — In July 2015, a video by Clinton teenager Austin Haughwout, featuring a drone with a semiautomatic handgun mounted to it, garnered a great deal of attention. As of March 2016, the below video has been viewed more than 3.5 million times.

Prior to the drone-gun video, Haughwout created a stir on the Internet in May 2014, when Andrea Mears of Westbrook thought he was using his drone to take pictures of women on a public beach.

Mears called the police before approaching the teenager and allegedly attacking him at Hammonassett State Park. The exchange was caught on video and contains strong language.

The woman was Mears was arrested May 12 and charged with third-degree assault and breach of peace. She was granted special probation.

Since then, Haughwout continued to make headlines and is in the news again, after Central Connecticut State University, where he was a student, expelled him.

Leading Up to the Expulsion

• Haughwout’s drone-gun invention was investigated by the FAA in July 2015.

• He appeared on Inside Edition to discuss the experience.

• On July 22, 2015, Clinton Police charged Haughwout with interfering with and assaulting an officer. Police said the arrest had no connection to the drone.

• On July 23, 2015, he uploaded a video to his YouTube channel that depicted an exchange with Clinton Police officers.

Expulsion From CCSU

The teen alleges the college violated his rights and did not follow the rules, according to Fox61. Haughwout said the reason for his expulsion was because he allegedly threatened a student, but there was no evidence that corroborated that notion.

According to the Hartford Courant, an arrest warrant was denied by a judge in September 2015. If approved, that warrant would have resulted in Haughwout’s arrest on charges of threatening.

In October 2015, a hearing took place on the matter and he was informed of his expulsion that month. He is reportedly hoping to be reinstated to the school.

Patch will provide updates as they become available.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Inside Edition; screenshots from YouTube video; Clinton Police Department