TENNESSEE — A Hampton man has been charged with felony theft after investigators said he stole a law enforcement traffic camera and later threw it into a river.
According to the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested 66-year-old Ronnie King on a charge of theft of property valued between $2,500 and $9,999. The stolen item was a law enforcement Flock traffic camera used for vehicle monitoring.
The investigation began Jan. 9 after the sheriff’s office was alerted by the Flock Safety management team that one of its cameras in the network had gone offline. An officer responded to the camera’s location and found that both the camera and the pole it was mounted on were missing.
Investigators said the camera recorded images as it was being removed, including clear photos of the suspect’s face and surrounding areas. Those images led deputies to a nearby business, where the missing camera pole was later recovered.
On Monday, investigators went to the business and encountered a man matching the images, who was identified as King. Authorities said that after being advised of his Miranda rights, King initially denied involvement but later admitted he took the camera “out of curiosity.”
According to investigators, King told officers the camera began flashing red, which frightened him. He said he placed the camera in a bag and threw it from a nearby bridge into the Doe River.
King was arrested and taken to the Carter County Detention Center, where he remains held on a $15,000 bond. The investigation remains ongoing.
