HEWITT, Texas (KWTX) – A 20-year-old Waco man is behind bars after investigators say he deliberately destroyed a police surveillance camera in Hewitt.
Ryne Tanner was arrested Wednesday, July 30, by Lacy Lakeview officers at his workplace and booked into the McLennan County Jail.
He faces two charges: Electronic Access Interference, a third-degree felony, and Criminal Mischief between $750 and $2,500, a Class A misdemeanor.
A magistrate set his bonds at $10,000 and $3,000, respectively.
Hewitt police say the incident dates back to July 19, when someone used a hard object to strike and damage one of the department’s License Plate Reader (LPR) cameras.
The hit not only physically damaged the equipment but also disrupted its electronic access function.
Detectives pieced together the case using footage from nearby private cameras, obtained with the owners’ consent, along with footage from other LPR cameras positioned at the city’s entry points.
That evidence led investigators to a person of interest, who was later contacted and admitted to the damage. The suspect also handed over the weapon used in the attack.
The Department’s Defense of LPR Technology
Hewitt police used the arrest as an opportunity to push back against what they called widespread misinformation about license plate reader cameras.
The department says its LPR strategy was designed with privacy in mind. Most cameras are placed at city entry points, not throughout residential neighborhoods, with the goal of flagging people who travel into Hewitt to commit crimes and then return to other cities.
Officials noted that federal courts have upheld the constitutionality of LPR cameras, and that Hewitt PD, a Texas Police Chief’s Association Best Practices member, follows strict policies, conducts regular audits, and limits camera access to approved law enforcement personnel.
“It is unfortunate in this case that a 20-year-old will now face the possibility of a lifetime felony charge and conviction due to such misinformation,” the department said in a statement.
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