Police arrest New Mexico man accused of removing Flock cameras

Authorities in New Mexico’s Bernalillo County on Wednesday arrested Jevon Martinez, 44, after they said he drove up to the local sheriff’s office with his truck bed full of dismantled Flock license plate reader cameras. Martinez posted several live videos to a social media page documenting himself taking down the cameras. He claimed he was not stealing or destroying them, but rather returning them to the sheriff’s office. The office ended its three contracts with Flock Safety last month, according to local news outlet KOAT. Martinez mentioned concerns over surveillance, dubbing the cameras “tyranny trees.” He also claimed the company had ties to the Israeli government.

A video posted on social media by Trevor Thompson News appeared to show Martinez surrendering peacefully to law enforcement. Martinez was charged with two crimes: interference with communications, a misdemeanor; and a third-degree felony charge for larceny, according to jail records.

Dig deeper: Listen to Lauren Smyth’s story on the controversy over data privacy surrounding Flock’s cameras.