A 66-year-old Frederick man landed in federal court on Friday after investigators said he uploaded drone footage of the Raven Rock Mountain Complex and other national defense locations to YouTube. Prosecutors say the videos, traced to a private channel, kicked off a multiagency investigation involving the Navy, NCIS and the FBI.
According to WJLA, federal filings identify the man as Stuart Bennett of Frederick and state that on Sept. 7, 2025, he posted videos showing drone flights over Raven Rock and other defense facilities. The Navy flagged one video the next day, and investigators later found a playlist titled "Classified Secret Sites" that reportedly held about seven overflight clips that have since been taken down.
What the court papers say
Filings in U.S. District Court, posted on DocumentCloud, state that agents executed search warrants in late September 2025 and seized a Potensic Atom drone, four micro-SD cards and an HP Z240 workstation from Bennett's home. One of the recovered cards allegedly held footage of Raven Rock's "Site C" recorded on Sept. 6, 2025, according to the affidavit. Investigators also reported finding Google Maps searches and files referencing Raven Rock and nearby communications sites.
How investigators traced the channel
The Independent reports that agents tied the YouTube account "Area82 Surveillance911" to Bennett using IP information and recovery contact details, then subpoenaed YouTube for additional account data. The outlet describes video titles that specifically named Raven Rock and the former Fort Ritchie communications site, and notes that during the search, agents saw a video in the process of being uploaded on a computer logged into the channel.
Charges and what Bennett told agents
Federal prosecutors have charged Bennett with a knowing or willful violation of national defense airspace, a misdemeanor that can carry up to a year in prison, according to WJLA. Court documents, summarizing interviews with Bennett, say he acknowledged that he did not have an FAA drone license and "knew he wasn't supposed to fly over military bases," but claimed that a person he referred to as "Elliott" urged him to fly over certain government locations. He was released under pretrial conditions while the case moves forward.
Why Raven Rock matters
The Raven Rock Mountain Complex, often nicknamed the "underground Pentagon," is described as a hardened continuity-of-government command and communications facility near the Pennsylvania-Maryland line. National security writers say it functions as a self-sustaining alternate headquarters. That level of sensitivity helps explain why unapproved drone flights quickly attract federal attention, analysts told Newsweek.
Local enforcement and precedent
Officials in the region have turned to similar federal charges in past high-profile drone incidents, including a 2024 case where authorities pursued federal action after a drone flew over M&T Bank Stadium, CBS Baltimore reported. Prosecutors and FBI officials have repeatedly warned that unauthorized unmanned aircraft flights pose security and public safety risks and can prompt federal enforcement.
Records on DocumentCloud indicate that the FBI and NCIS remain involved and that the investigation is still active. Court dockets show no firm trial date yet, and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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