A Lenoir City man who is also running for the U.S. House in Tennessee’s second district is facing multiple felony charges after police say he shot four license plate reading cameras in Blount County over the course of about a week.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryville Police Department opened an investigation after officers discovered damage to four Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems on July 25. At least one of the damaged units was a Flock-brand camera, the technology that has become a flashpoint in ongoing debates over surveillance and privacy across Tennessee.
That investigation led deputies to 37-year-old Adam Lee Heimerman, who was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of felony vandalism. Heimerman is listed with the Tennessee Secretary of State as an independent candidate for Congress in the state’s second district.
According to an affidavit obtained by WVLT News, Heimerman told investigators he used a gun to shoot the four camera systems between July 14 and July 22. Three of the cameras were in Blount County, and the fourth was in the city of Maryville.
Investigators also said evidence showed Heimerman accessed one of the Blount County cameras from the property of a house of worship while congregants were attending church services.
Heimerman is being held at the Blount County Correctional Facility on a $40,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 5.
License plate reading cameras have drawn increasing scrutiny from Tennessee lawmakers and residents alike, with several state leaders pushing for tighter regulation of the technology over privacy concerns.