A Flock Safety camera is shown mounted in front of an American flag. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
By Michael Austin August 9, 2026 at 6:30am
A candidate for the U.S. House in Tennessee was arrested at the end of last month for allegedly shooting at four Flock cameras.
Adam Lee Heimerman, 37, was served warrants for four counts of felony vandalism, per a release from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office.
The damage to the Flock automated license plate readers, also known as ALPRs, was first discovered on July 25.
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryville Police Department jointly investigated the damage, which eventually led them to Heimerman.
He reportedly admitted to shooting at the systems between July 14 and July 22.
“Evidence shows that Heimerman accessed one of the ALPR systems in Blount County from the property of a house of worship as citizens were attending church services,” the release added.
Tennessee congressional candidate arrested after allegedly shooting down Flock cameras himself https://t.co/UJPBd6CIKx pic.twitter.com/JivUCjLPOU
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 5, 2026
The suspect was being held on $40,000 in bonds pending an Aug. 5 hearing.
WBIR reported that Heimerman is running as an independent candidate for Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District.
The seat is currently occupied by Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican who won his Aug. 6 primary unopposed.
Michaela Barnett, who is running for Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District as a Democrat, reacted to Heimerman’s arrest in a statement to WBIR.
“East Tennesseans don’t want their actions tracked, logged, or sold without a warrant. I oppose Flock cameras and other tools of mass surveillance in our community,” she said.
“I look forward to working on behalf of East Tennesseans in Congress to pass legislation that ends mass surveillance of our communities, reins in government overreach, and protects our civil liberties.”
WBIR also noted that elected officials in Tennessee — including Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs — have recently voiced concerns about the cameras.
But law enforcement officials, including Knoxville Police Chief Paul Noel, have said the cameras aid in investigations.
Burchett has opposed Flock cameras and similar technology, contending that they violate Fourth Amendment Protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The lawmaker said “these law enforcement intelligence agents, they gotta have tools to address these threats, but taking our constitutional rights is not on the table,” per a report from WZTV.
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Michael wrote for several entertainment news outlets before joining The Western Journal in 2020. He now serves as Managing Editor, which involves managing the editorial team and operations, guiding the publication’s editorial direction, and writing, editing, curating and assigning stories as needed.
Birthplace
Ames, Iowa
Nationality
American
Education
Iowa State University
Topics of Expertise
Cultural Politics, Pop Culture, Christian-Conservatism
