New Mexico police arrest viral protestor with truckload of Flock cameras
“I am simply returning them to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department.”
Jevon Martinez arrested by New Mexico Police. By KOB4/Illustration by Cybernews.
- Jevon Martinez was arrested after taking down Flock cameras, poles, and solar panels in New Mexico.
- The sheriff’s office says deputies recovered 10 cameras after stopping his truck outside its office.
- Martinez said he was returning the cameras because the county had ended its Flock contract.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
The list of nationwide protests against Flock cameras, including terminated contracts, the "Darth Vader" stunt, and people destroying automated license plate reader cameras in the US, continues to grow. A man has recently been arrested after attempting to return the cameras to local police, who called it a “publicity stunt.”
Jevon Martinez, known as "Johnvon Thechamp” on social media, was arrested this past May for damaging Flock cameras in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Now, he has been charged again after taking down multiple Flock cameras, poles, and solar panels, loading them into his truck, and apparently attempting to return the devices to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO).
According to the office, Martinez was booked on charges of larceny (over $2,500) and interference with communications.
"Just for the record, I am not stealing these. I am not destroying them. I am simply returning them to the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department," Martinez said in a video, explaining that, as the BCSO had ended its contract with Flock in August, the cameras needed to be removed from the streets.
According to Martinez, he's just liberating his people "from tyranny."
A person behind the "Johnvon Thechamp" Facebook account posted earlier today that they haven't talked to Jevon yet.
"However, a mother of an inmate called and said they are blocking all of Jevon’s phone calls!" the post said.
In its comments on Facebook, BCSO called Martinez's actions a "publicity stunt," claiming that the man removed 10 Flock cameras, which were recovered "only after deputies stopped his vehicle outside the Sheriff’s Office."
"People have every right to question government technology, criticize my decisions, and participate in the public debate. What they do not have is the right to take the law into their own hands. We will address privacy concerns through policy, transparency, and the legislative process, not through reckless stunts designed to generate attention," Sheriff John Allen was quoted as saying in the post, which also provided a list of "prior criminal cases and allegations" against Martinez.
