An early morning patrol in Southmayd led to a felony arrest after a real-time alert from the department’s automated license plate reader system.
On February 17, 2026, around 5:45 a.m., Officer Scott Barrett with the Southmayd Police Department received a notification from the city’s Flock Safety license plate reader indicating that a stolen vehicle had entered the area near the 21000 block of State Highway 56.
The department uses Flock Safety cameras at strategic locations throughout the city to generate real-time alerts when vehicles connected to criminal activity, stolen vehicles, wanted individuals, or missing persons enter the jurisdiction.
Officer Barrett located the suspect vehicle at a Valero gas station in the 17000 block of State Highway 56. The vehicle was confirmed stolen out of the Denton Police Department. Two female occupants were detained at the scene.
With assistance from Officer Dobbs, officers searched the vehicle and found multiple Home Depot receipts. Investigators believe the receipts may be tied to a retail theft and fraud scheme in which stolen merchandise is returned for cash.
The driver was arrested and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, a state jail felony. She was transported to the Grayson County Jail for booking.
The remainder of the investigation has been referred to the Denton Police Department.
