Two people in a stolen Mercedes were arrested inside a Publix grocery store in The Villages.
The Lady Lake Police Department made its first arrests utilizing its new license plate reader (LPR) camera system, illustrating how technology may help detectives identify stolen vehicles and apprehend offenders.
The department’s Safety LPR system warned officers at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday that the stolen silver Mercedes-Benz E350 was moving southbound on U.S. Highway 27/441 near Avenida Central. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported the car as stolen to the National Crime Information Center database.
Officers performed a search of the neighborhood and discovered the automobile in the parking lot of Publix La Plaza Grande. Sgt. Heather Couch spotted the vehicle’s driver, later identified as 37-year-old Stephanie Lynn Barbee of Beverly Hills, and arrested her.
During the inquiry, authorities discovered Barbee had been in possession of the vehicle for two days. A search of the car turned up a bag containing a crystal-like material that tested presumptively positive for methamphetamine and weighed 1.29 grams. Officers also discovered tablets later identified as benzodiazepines.
Barbee was charged with grand theft of a car, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of benzodiazepine. She was transferred to the Lake County Jail. Police arrested 24-year-old James Smith, a passenger in the vehicle and also from Beverly Hills, on unrelated drug charges.
Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt stated, “This case exemplifies the synergy between technology and effective police work.” “The system for reading license platescers to the stolen vehicle, but it was their rapid response and proactive effort that resulted in the arrest. Tools like this system allow us to respond quickly, recover stolen items, and keep our community secure.”
The system employs cameras to record license plate numbers as well as vehicle details, including make, model, and color. It then sends warnings when a vehicle linked to a crime or a missing person alert is detected. The cameras do not employ facial recognition or collect biometric information, and all data is erased automatically after 30 days.
The Lady Lake Police Department has installed cameras at strategic entry points throughout the community.
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