Evansville police have made an arrest in an investigation into Flock license plate reader cameras being destroyed or stolen across the city.
Charles Hughes, 18, was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on Monday morning on charges of theft and criminal mischief, along with disregarding a traffic signal. Those charges are allegations and have not been proven in court.
Police said in September they were investigating more than a dozen cases of cameras being destroyed or stolen. According to an affidavit, officers stopped a man on an e-scooter just before 5 a.m. Monday on Governor Street after he was riding without a headlight and disregarded a stoplight.
Officers say the rider was wearing a mask and carrying two bags, and that a collapsible ladder and a large solar panel with a Flock sticker were on the scooter. In a backpack, officers say they found Flock camera components including batteries, junction boxes, cameras and wires, along with hand tools, a battery-powered Sawzall and a screw gun.
Police say one camera faceplate matched a retrieved pole at Diamond Avenue and Fulton Avenue. The replacement cost for one Flock camera is put at $4,800.
Hughes told police he had gotten the panel out of a dumpster on Governor Street, according to the affidavit. Police say the investigation is ongoing.
