California man who attacked Flock camera worker had voyeur videos of teen girls

Nathan Ceballos, 31, allegedly assaulted a Flock Safety contractor in Palm Desert. A search of his home turned up disturbing videos of teenage girls.

Voyeur videos found at home of man who threatened Flock camera worker in Palm Desert

Riverside County Sheriff's deputies searching the home of a Palm Desert man accused of attacking a license plate reader technician discovered multiple sexually intrusive videos of teenage girls recorded in both public and private settings, NY Post Metro reports.

Nathan Ceballos, 31, is alleged to have assaulted a contractor employed by Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based automated license plate reader company, who was on-site to replace a camera that had already been vandalized. According to investigators, Ceballos approached the worker, threatened to stab him, slashed all four tires on his utility vehicle and damaged the replacement camera.

Deputies spotted Ceballos behind the wheel of his vehicle hours after the alleged attack and took him into custody without incident during a traffic stop. They subsequently served a search warrant at his residence, where they say they recovered evidence linked to the assault, additional vandalism of Flock Safety cameras and the disturbing video recordings on his computer.

Ceballos was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and multiple counts of felony vandalism. He remained in custody as of Tuesday. Investigators say they are continuing to work to identify the teenage victims captured in the footage.

Flock Safety under mounting scrutiny

The case draws renewed attention to Flock Safety at a moment of intensifying controversy around its surveillance network. The company's cameras — mounted on police vehicles, poles or portable trailers — automatically photograph license plates and log the exact location, date and time of each capture.

Law enforcement agencies argue the technology is a valuable tool for solving crimes and locating fugitives. Critics, however, have raised serious concerns about the scope of the expanding system. Left-wing advocacy groups have accused Flock of sharing data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to assist in tracking undocumented immigrants. The company denies sharing customer data with any entity, federal or otherwise, without permission.

The Los Angeles Police Department suspended its contract with Flock in July over a dispute about who retains control of recorded footage. Cities in Texas, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan have also severed ties with the company, while departments in Georgia and Oklahoma continue to use the cameras. A company spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on the Palm Desert incident.

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley told the California Post this month that the company is cutting its camera data retention window from 30 days to seven, and will require law enforcement to justify every search conducted on the system. Langley described the changes as the strictest license plate reader policy in the country, noting that roughly 90% of investigative searches on Flock's platform already take place within seven days of an event.

"I've realized communities need my help," Langley said, explaining the decision to move beyond offering privacy tools as optional features and instead make certain safeguards mandatory.

Source: NY Post Metro