Serial Armed Robber Gets 20-Year Sentence After Flock Cam Assisted Arrest

Dayton police used license plate reader technology to track down and apprehend a suspect in a string of armed robberies.

Published on Feb. 4, 2026

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A serial armed robber named Timothy Farr was sentenced to 20 years in prison for committing 12 armed robberies throughout the Miami Valley region. Dayton police were able to identify Farr's vehicle using Flock Safety license plate reader cameras, leading to his arrest and conviction.

Why it matters

The use of Flock Safety's license plate reader technology played a key role in solving this case, highlighting how such surveillance tools can assist law enforcement in tracking down and apprehending suspects, even when victims have difficulty recalling details. However, the widespread deployment of these cameras also raises privacy concerns that must be carefully balanced against public safety needs.

The details

Farr began his robbery spree at a Dayton Sunoco gas station on December 3, 2024, and continued committing armed robberies until he was stopped by police on December 16th driving the same vehicle identified by the Flock cameras. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Farr became increasingly aggressive in his verbal commands to store clerk victims while flaunting a gun.

  • Farr began his robbery spree on December 3, 2024.
  • Farr was arrested on December 16, 2024.

The players

Timothy Farr

A local man who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for committing a series of 12 armed robberies throughout the Miami Valley region.

Flock Safety

A company that operates license plate reader cameras in over 6,000 communities across 49 states, assisting in 10% of all reported crimes nationwide.

Dayton Police Department

The law enforcement agency that used Flock Safety's license plate reader technology to identify Farr's vehicle and apprehend the serial armed robber.

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What they’re saying

“Different law enforcement agencies involved used Flock to identify the vehicle of interest connected to several of those robbery locations. That led investigators to that red Ford Taurus, which was later stopped by Dayton Police.”

— Paris Lewbel, Spokesperson, Flock Safety (dayton247now.com)

“You can have a portion of the license plate. It can even break it down to a type of car, color of car, or descriptors on a car, and you can plug those parameters into the Flock system, and it will generate a list and show you every car that meets that criteria.”

— Lt. Matt Beavers, Dayton Police Department (dayton247now.com)

“We're able to zoom in, get license plates, then we can start backtracking and trying to tie that vehicle to an owner, tie that owner to a person if they give us a physical description, something like that. It gives us a leg up in gaining leads on suspects. Any of the surrounding jurisdictions that also have Flock, they can, you know, get those alerts as well. We can get that information out.”

— Lt. Matt Beavers, Dayton Police Department (dayton247now.com)

What’s next

The U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, will continue to monitor the use of Flock Safety's license plate reader technology and its impact on law enforcement efforts to combat crime in the region.

The takeaway

This case highlights the growing role of surveillance technologies like license plate readers in assisting law enforcement, but also raises important questions about privacy, civil liberties, and the potential for abuse that must be carefully considered as these tools become more widespread.