County camera system alerts police to stolen car

A law-enforcement camera system led to man’s arrest in Columbus, after the system recognized a stolen car.

According to Columbus Police Department reports, officers received a notification at about 2:10 p.m. Tuesday afternoon that the camera system recognized a stolen car heading into the city. Police found the vehicle shortly afterwards abandoned near State Road 11 and Kenmill Drive. A man was found running near a mobile home park and after a short foot chase, he was taken into custody.

While searching the stolen vehicle, police discovered methamphetamine and fentanyl inside. 44-year-old Anthony B. Smith of Columbus was arrested on preliminary charges of possession of the drugs and drug paraphernalia, theft of a vehicle and resisting law enforcement.

The camera system, known as FLOCK, was purchased by Bartholomew County last year. The cameras have the ability to read license plates and quickly process those against a database to alert police with various pieces of information, such as the plate of a stolen vehicle, or a vehicle suspected in a child abduction or missing persons case. That information would be processed within moments and then forwarded to on-duty deputies via a computer program in their vehicle, authorities said at the time.