Stewart County, Tenn.–The crime spree by a 17-year-old juvenile that started in Stewart County ended when he and his 18-year-old female companion were caught in Arkansas.
The male subject stole a truck from a residence in the city of Dover, but it was not reported for several hours. Meanwhile, the juvenile suspect at some point burglarized a business in Henry County before breaking into a home in Benton County and stealing approximately 12 guns from the residence.
Stewart County Sheriff Frankie Gray began working with Benton County Sheriff Ken Christopher, along with the Dover Police Department.
The stolen vehicle was entered into NCIC which also entered the vehicle into the “FLOCK” camera system. The vehicle was picked up on the “Flock”camera shortly after being entered into NCIC on Wednesday May 20th, in West Memphis, Arkansas.
A Flock camera is a specialized AI-powered Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) system widely used by police departments.
Stewart County sheriff’s office officials said, “Authorities were notified of the direction the vehicle was last seen. The vehicle with the 17-year-old juvenile and the 18-year-old was apprehended a little while later. All weapons were recovered along with other property that was stolen. The 17-year-old man was wearing one of the handguns stolen on his belt when apprehended.”
This was a joint effort by several agencies including Stewart County, Benton County, Henry County, the Dover Police Department, West Memphis Police, and the State of Arkansas authorities. The two (2) face charges in Arkansas, as well as charges in multiple counties in Tennessee.