News4JAX reported that the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office credits license plate reader technology with helping deputies find an armed robbery suspect within minutes. The Sheriff's Office says the arrest came after a robbery on Friday, Oct. 16. The county's Flock Safety cameras are also headed back to a public agenda on Oct. 20.
What happened in the bank robbery?
Deputies say Hubert Estelle, 32, entered the Regions Bank on St. Johns Common Parkway just after 3 p.m. on Oct. 16 carrying an AR-15-style rifle. Employees handed over an undisclosed amount of cash before he ran. They described the getaway car as a white Audi sedan with white tape over the license plate.
The Sheriff's Office says traffic cameras and plate readers picked up a matching vehicle near St. Johns Parkway minutes after the robbery. Investigators at the Real Time Intelligence Center also say they identified the same vehicle before the robbery, before the plate was covered.
- Vehicle located at Ascend Luxury Apartments on Mossy Pine Lane by 3:23 p.m.
- Roughly 15 minutes after the robbery was reported
- SWAT team located Estelle inside his apartment
- Deputies say a search turned up the rifle and the clothing worn during the robbery
What is Estelle charged with?
The Sheriff's Office lists these charges:
- Armed robbery with a firearm
- Grand theft
- Aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony (five counts)
- Wearing a mask or hood while committing a felony
The Major Crimes Unit continues to investigate.
What changes for drivers?
The Sheriff's Office says roughly half of its approximately 182 Flock cameras would be removed under a state directive covering state rights-of-way. Sheriff Rob Hardwick has said those cameras would not be moved somewhere else. Cameras on county roads remain in place for now. The source does not say what drivers will encounter on either type of road, and it gives no completion date for the state removals.
The report also does not say whether plate reads from the removed cameras will stop being kept. Readers who want to see where cameras are mapped can check the camera map, and how plate readers work explains what the devices capture.
What happens next with the Flock cameras?
Commissioners agreed to place the county's use of Flock Safety automatic license plate reader cameras on the Oct. 20 agenda. The board also agreed to give residents a chance to comment and discuss whether to permit the cameras on county rights-of-way. The sheriff has said he wants the cameras to stay on county roads.
Oct. 20 is the next scheduled step. Residents who want to weigh in can contribute what they know about local cameras, and public transparency records for agencies are a good place to start asking questions before the agenda item.