Carson City deputies arrested three 20-year-old men on felony charges for the destruction of state property after they allegedly shook a pole holding a camera until the camera fell to the ground.
Deputies also allege the trio had discussed interfering with the cameras prior to the incident, leading to additional conspiracy charges.
Shane Gibson and Charlie Flores-Rarmiez face felony charges for damage too state property over $5,000 and gross misdemeanor charges for conspiracy of that damage, and a third suspect was cited for the gross misdemeanor conspiracy charge.
In recent months, Flock cameras have become a controversial topic nationwide as use of them has spread. A Flock camera is an automated license plate reader (ALPR) made by Flock Safety. The cameras are typically positioned along roads or at parking lot / business entrances and photograph vehicles as they pass. It then records information such as the license plate number, vehicle make/model and color, along with the time and location of the sighting. That information is converted into searchable data that law enforcement can use to identify vehicles connected to investigations.
The system can also generate real-time alerts when a detected plate matches certain law-enforcement databases or “hot lists,” such as a vehicle reported stolen or associated with a wanted person. Flock says its license-plate cameras are designed to identify vehicles rather than people and do not use facial recognition.
We’ll have more information on Flock cameras in Carson City, including how many are here, their pros and cons, and what officials say, next week.
According to the arrest report, the three were arrested after deputies were dispatched Wednesday just after 8:30 p.m. on report of three men attempting to “take down” a flock camera in a gas station parking lot.
Dispatch provided a description of the males, and advised they were walking towards the Salvation Army parking lot.
Deputies responded to the area and located three subjects in a vehicle pulling out of a gym parking lot, according to the report.
Deputies stopped the vehicle and told the three to exit the vehicle “with their hands up” (Editor’s note: it is unclear from the arrest report if they were instructed to do so at gun point).
They were detained and separated for interviews. Two of the men, (Gibson and Flores-Ramirez) said they had shaken the flock camera pole, and the camera fell. They said after it fell, the three left. Both said the third individual did not go near the camera.
They said they had spoken about “messing” with the pole prior to doing so.
Bail for Gibson and Flores-Ramirez: $7,500 each
Bail for the third: $2,500
All information for the crime log (unless otherwise noted) is public information and supplied by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office through probable cause reports. All subjects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. View our policy on naming defendants here.
