BELLE MEADE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Two wanted men were taken into custody last week thanks to alert Belle Meade officers and a crime-fighting network that surrounds that city.
According to the Belle Meade Police Department, the city has 21 license plate recognition (LPR) locations. In fact, there’s no way in or out of Belle Meade without being detected by an LPR camera.
That network of crime-fighting cameras paid dividends on Wednesday, Feb. 26 when a Jeep driving down Belle Meade Boulevard was flagged for having a stolen plate on it. Officers pulled that vehicle over and began an investigation.
Body camera footage captured the moments after the stop.
“Your plate came back stolen, okay?” an officer said.
The driver, who ultimately was not arrested, replied, “It’s not my car.”
Police soon discovered two men in the vehicle had outstanding warrants.
One of those men was James Walls, who discarded a syringe on the floorboards of the car, according to authorities. Walls told officers he did not toss the syringe and he maintained he was diabetic.
“You’re gonna be charged with that syringe,” the officer said.
“For real?” Walls asked.
“Yes sir,” the officer responded.
Police said Walls was wanted out of Kentucky on charges related to drugs.
“So what is your name and your date of birth? Because this ain’t coming up,” the officer said.
“The date of birth is correct,” Walls stated.
According to officials, the 21-year-old initially lied about who he was.
“If you don’t tell me the truth, I’m going to be charging you with false information to a police officer,” the cop said.
That’s when Walls revealed who he was. A search of Walls revealed $900 and a small amount of drugs in his pocket.
The other man taken into custody was identified as Teddy Potter. Police said the 27-year-old had active warrants out of Fairview.
According to an affidavit obtained by News 2, Potter was in possession of a woman’s car. After the Fairview Police Department instructed Potter to return the woman’s car, the vehicle was reportedly found abandoned on the side of the interstate in Wilson County.
Potter was charged with theft of property, but per the arrest document, he did not show up for court and was charged with failure to appear.
“They did a great job locating the vehicle. They did a great job working together to get the information as far as about the stolen vehicle, the stolen tag, the warrants, the drugs, the paraphernalia. They did great work,” Lt. Mack Mangrum with the Belle Meade Police Department told News 2.
Walls was reportedly booked into the Davidson County Male Correctional Development Center for felony fugitive from justice (no warrant) and misdemeanor possession or casual exchange of a controlled substance. He is being held on a $102,000 bond, but he has already been sentenced to 30 days for the drug charge, with the sentence starting Wednesday, March 5, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, Potter was taken to Williamson County, where he’s still being held on a $5,000 bond, jail officials said. He is due in court on April 10.
