OVIEDO, Fla. \u2013 A 24-year-old man was arrested Friday night after Oviedo police said he cut down and smashed what he thought was a Flock camera near Arrowroot Place and Lockwood Boulevard. Investigators said the device was actually a 3D-printed decoy set up after several real cameras were stolen in the area.<\/p>\n
Police said Evan Meyer used pruning shears to cut down the decoy camera before smashing it. Video from the arrest shows officers taking Meyer into custody Thursday night.<\/p>\n
According to police, the fake camera was installed as a \u201cclone bait camera\u201d after several Flock cameras were stolen between late July and early August.<\/p>\n
Flock cameras, which are often used as license plate readers, have sparked debate across Central Florida, with supporters pointing to public safety and critics raising privacy concerns.<\/p>\n
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek said on social media that she did not know about the decoy cameras until she saw a news report.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is something I wasn\u2019t aware of, and nobody on City Council is,\u201d Sladek said.<\/p>\n
Some residents said police should have notified the public about the decoys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re going to be doing that, then yeah, they should go and be telling people,\u201d driver Gerry Patterson said.<\/p>\n
Another resident said the cameras feel like \u201can invasion of privacy,\u201d adding that people may not know \u201cwho is doing all this surveillance and what kind of information they are gathering.\u201d<\/p>\n
The arrest report and Sladek said the decoy cameras did not cost the city any money. Replacing a real Flock camera costs about $800, plus installation, according to the report.<\/p>\n
Sladek also said vandalizing public property is not acceptable.<\/p>\n
Meyer is facing several charges, including criminal mischief and grand theft. The case will now move through the court system.<\/p>\n
-Original Story-<\/p>\n
An Oviedo man was arrested after police say he intentionally cut down and destroyed a Flock Safety camera that had been installed as a decoy following a series of thefts targeting the city\u2019s license plate reader network.<\/p>\n
According to an Oviedo Police Department arrest affidavit, the incident happened at 12:57 a.m. Aug. 20, 2026, near the intersection of Lockwood Boulevard and Arrowroot Place. The location had become a focus for investigators after several Flock cameras were stolen from the Lockwood Boulevard corridor between July 23 and Aug. 3, 2026.<\/p>\n
Police said they responded to the earlier thefts by installing clone-style \u201cbait\u201d cameras around 10 p.m. on Aug. 19. The devices were designed to look like operational Flock cameras but did not collect data and cost significantly less than the real equipment.<\/p>\n
A police sergeant conducting surveillance allegedly watched a man, later identified as Evan Meyer, 24, approach one of the decoy cameras. According to the affidavit, Meyer was dressed in black clothing and wearing gloves and a face mask. Investigators say he used a pair of pruning shears to cut the camera from its mount before throwing it to the ground and smashing it into several pieces.<\/p>\n
The sergeant said Meyer then ran northbound along the west sidewalk of Lockwood Boulevard. After emergency lights were activated and commands were issued, Meyer stopped and was taken into custody without incident.<\/p>\n
Police said Meyer lives at a residence on River Birch Avenue, a short distance from the camera location. During a post-Miranda interview, investigators said Meyer complained about the presence of Flock cameras near his neighborhood and stated there are two separate Flock cameras near his home because of its proximity to jurisdictional boundaries.<\/p>\n
According to the affidavit, Meyer told officers he had been reading criticism online about Flock Safety and concerns involving the company\u2019s technology. He reportedly said the cameras made him feel like there was a \u201cconstant eye\u201d watching him and that he decided to target the camera closest to his house.<\/p>\n
Investigators wrote that Meyer admitted taking his father\u2019s pruning shears from the garage and walking south from his home to the camera location. He allegedly told officers the shears were brought solely to destroy the camera and were not intended for use against law enforcement.<\/p>\n
The affidavit states Meyer believed he was destroying a real, functioning Flock camera and estimated replacement costs at between $1,000 and $5,000, which investigators cited as evidence that he knew the equipment had significant value. Police later noted the bait camera itself was valued at approximately $800, plus installation costs.<\/p>\n
Authorities say Meyer was unaware the device he destroyed was actually a decoy camera that was incapable of collecting license plate data. Even so, investigators wrote that his intent was to prevent what he believed was an operational camera from continuing to collect vehicle information.<\/p>\n
Meyer was arrested on three felony charges:<\/p>\n
Criminal mischief causing more than $1,000 in damage<\/p>\n
Grand theft involving property valued between $750 and $5,000<\/p>\n
Damaging or taking computer, electronic device or related equipment<\/p>\n
The arrest affidavit lists Meyer\u2019s total bond at $7,500.<\/p>\n
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