MARCY, N.Y. (AP) — A drone flew over the grounds of an upstate New York prison after midnight and released a package containing knives, a cellphone, bandannas, hair clippers and a green leafy substance between two dormitories, officials said Wednesday.
The package was quickly recovered by staff after the drone was detected flying above the Marcy Correctional Facility at 1 a.m. Saturday. Investigators were trying to determine who was responsible, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
The two double-edged knives were 8 inches (20 centimeters) and there was more than a pound (about 530 grams) of the unidentified green leafy substance wrapped in clear plastic and balloons. The package also included five pieces of paper “saturated in intoxicating chemicals” and chargers and accessories for the two hair clippers, according to the department.
The drone was recovered outside the prison, which is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of New York City,
Using drones to smuggle contraband into prisons is not unheard of. Department Commissioner Daniel Martuscello called it “an evolving but imminent threat” to the state correctional system, which has experienced about a dozen other drone incidents. The commissioner used the incident to lobby for state legislation designed to address illegal drone use.
The package recovered at Marcy had wires protruding from it, prompting a response from a bomb squad to make sure it did not pose an immediate threat.
This photo provided by the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision shows balloons filled with contraband sit on display at Marcy Correctional Facility, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Marcy, N.Y. (New York State DOCCS via AP)
This photo provided by the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision shows contraband and the drone that was used to deliver them displayed at Marcy Correctional Facility, Saturday, March 14, 2026, in Marcy, N.Y. (New York State DOCCS via AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR driver Daniel Dye was suspended Tuesday — the second known major penalty of his racing career — for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas during a recent livestream.
In the video, which circulated Tuesday on social media, Dye used voices that made inferences about Malukas' sexuality. He mimicked Malukas' voice at one point.
Dye is a Truck Series driver for Kaulig Racing, which also suspended him. NASCAR ordered Dye to undergo sensitivity training.
Dye apologized to Malukas in a social media post, calling his comments “careless.”
“I chose my words poorly and I understand why it upset people,” he wrote. “I'm sorry to anyone who was offended. That's now I want to represent myself.
“I have some close friends in the LBGT+ community who would never want to feel less of themselves because of what I said, and that's exactly why I should hold myself to a higher standard.”
He said conversations with those friends made him recognize that “a true friend would know better than to act the way I did.”
Malukas, a 24-year-old driver for Team Penske, often posts pictures on social media with a girlfriend.
This is the second time Dye has been suspended.
He was 18 and racing in the ARCA series when he was arrested at a Dayona Beach, Florida, high school and charged with felony battery for approaching a classmate and punching the student in the groin area.
The victim was treated at a hospital for a potential ruptured testicle.
Dye said it was a game and he'd be exonerated.
He was instead indefinitely suspended by ARCA, which is owned by NASCAR. Dye was reinstated when the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Dye in his third full season of racing in the Truck Series. He moved to Kaulig Racing this year to drive for Ram in the automaker's return to NASCAR competition. Through three races, his best finish is 13th at Atlanta.
Dye raced at St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Truck Series when NASCAR partnered its third-tier series with IndyCar's season opener. Malukas made his Team Penske debut that same weekend.
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
FILE - Daniel Dye (10) drives during qualifying for a NASCAR truck series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/David Graham, File)
FILE - Driver Daniel Dye (43) is seen during qualifying for the NASCAR Weather Guard Truck Series, March 16, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)
