VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – An 18-year-old Port Orange man is accused of felony criminal mischief after deputies say he admitted to cutting down multiple license plate reader cameras in Volusia County.
According to an arrest affidavit from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, a deputy discovered a damaged Flock license plate reader along Pioneer Trail near Airport Road in New Smyrna Beach on Aug. 4.
Recommended Videos
Investigators said the pole appeared to have been cut near the base, causing the camera to fall to the ground.
Detectives later learned of similar vandalism cases being investigated by Port Orange police involving other Flock cameras that had also been cut down, including locations near Airport Road and Charles Street and Forest Preserve Boulevard and Taylor Road, the affidavit says.
Investigators reported that a camera near Forest Preserve Boulevard and Taylor Road captured an image of a black 2018 Chevrolet Suburban around 4:13 a.m. on Aug. 4.
A records check linked the vehicle to a Port Orange address, and detectives contacted the registered owner, who said the SUV was typically driven by his stepson, Jaden Joseph Brooks, the affidavit states.
A friend later told police he was with Brooks after midnight on Aug. 4 when Brooks drove into a neighborhood, retrieved a tool from the vehicle and walked toward the camera. The friend said he watched Brooks cut down the pole with a cutting tool before they returned to the friend’s home, according to the affidavit.
During an interview on Aug. 11 at the Port Orange Police Department, investigators said Brooks acknowledged driving the Suburban and admitted using a reciprocating saw to cut down the cameras.
Brooks told detectives he cut the cameras down because he disagreed with them and “was having a rough week,” the affidavit states.
Brooks was arrested Aug. 11. He now faces three counts of criminal mischief, though he was released later that same day on bond of $7,500.