Lawrenceburg police arrest two in alleged multi-county Flock camera vandalism spree

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. , Lawrenceburg police have taken two Anderson County residents into custody as part of an investigation into the destruction and theft of Flock safety cameras spanning several central Kentucky counties.

Officers arrested the suspects around 9 p.m. on Sept. 22 during an active criminal mischief investigation tied to multiple vandalized Flock cameras, according to police.

Detectives determined that four Flock cameras in Lawrenceburg had either been destroyed or removed entirely. Investigators reached out to neighboring agencies, including the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the Versailles Police Department, and confirmed that those agencies had recorded comparable incidents.

Earlier that same day, a witness informed Versailles police of a black truck pulling a trailer along Kentucky 33 in Woodford County. The witness reported observing a woman exit the vehicle and fire a shotgun at a Flock camera before the truck continued toward Lexington.

Versailles police passed the information along to Lawrenceburg investigators. Officers subsequently located the vehicle near Pumphouse Road in Lawrenceburg and, with support from the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, apprehended two suspects without incident.

Police identified the suspects as 44-year-old Jim Thacker of Anderson County and 18-year-old Jovanna Grobe, a former Powell County resident now residing in Anderson County.

Thacker faces charges of first-degree criminal mischief, conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal mischief, and possession of an open alcoholic beverage container in a motor vehicle.

Grobe faces charges of first-degree criminal mischief, complicity to commit first-degree criminal mischief, discharging a firearm or other device across a public road, and failure to notify the Department of Transportation of an address change.

Officers recovered two shotguns believed to have been used in the incidents, along with a large quantity of ammunition.

Additional charges may be filed in other jurisdictions as the investigation develops.