A 40-year-old Pismo Beach man is facing felony charges after investigators say he traveled to Monterey County and intentionally destroyed multiple automated license plate recognition cameras.
Marcus Bee was arrested and booked into the Monterey County Jail on a charge of felony vandalism after detectives linked him to the destruction of at least 3 Flock Safety Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras in the communities of Lockwood and Bradley.
The damage totaled thousands of dollars to public safety infrastructure.
Investigators say Bee's actions were captured by nearby surveillance cameras, which combined with other investigative leads allowed detectives to identify and arrest him.
His bail was set at $30,000.
"This arrest sends a clear message that anyone who intentionally damages public safety equipment will be identified, arrested, and held accountable," Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said.
"These cameras have become an invaluable investigative resource that helps us solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles and ag equipment, locate missing persons, and protect our communities. Any attempts to disable these systems will not prevent us from doing our job. In this case, the suspect's own actions were captured on surveillance cameras, leading directly to his arrest. We will continue to aggressively investigate these crimes and seek prosecution against anyone who targets public safety infrastructure," Nieto said.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office says Flock Safety ALPR cameras are used by law enforcement agencies throughout the county to solve crimes, recover stolen vehicles, locate missing persons, and identify suspect vehicles in investigations ranging from property crimes to violent offenses, including shootings and homicides.
The sheriff's office says the cameras are used exclusively to support legitimate criminal investigations and are not used for civil immigration enforcement or federal immigration investigations.
