An off-duty Mt. Juliet police officer out at Charlie Daniels Park on Saturday spotted a person who did not seem to belong and called in on-duty units, kicking off an investigation that ended with an arrest. Officers soon found that the vehicle the person had been using carried a false license plate and, after some digging, tied the car to a previously reported theft. A 36-year-old Nashville man was taken into custody and booked into the Wilson County Jail.
According to WSMV, the Mt. Juliet Police Department said the off-duty officer noticed the suspicious person in the park and asked on-duty officers to respond. While checking things out, investigators discovered the vehicle had a fraudulent license plate that had been reported stolen out of Nashville in March 2025. Officers told WSMV that the car itself was taken during a home burglary on Finley Drive, where the side door was reportedly kicked in.
Where the encounter happened
The contact unfolded at Charlie Daniels Park, the city’s main community park at 1075 Charlie Daniels Parkway. According to City of Mt. Juliet records, the park at that address includes a community center and multiple recreational facilities.
Car linked to burglary investigation
Mt. Juliet police say the fraudulent plate and follow-up checks ultimately connected the vehicle to last year’s residential burglary. WSMV reports the department identified the theft and that the 36-year-old suspect was quickly arrested and booked into the Wilson County Jail. Authorities had not released the suspect’s name in the initial reporting.
How Mt. Juliet officers track stolen cars
Mt. Juliet has increasingly relied on license-plate reader alerts and proactive monitoring to flag stolen vehicles as they enter the city, a tactic local departments say has led to multiple recoveries. Local reporting and police releases note that plate-reader hits allow officers to coordinate safer responses and follow-up investigations. The department’s plate-reader alerts have been credited with several arrests, according to Davidson County Source.
The suspect remains in custody in Wilson County while investigators continue to develop the case. Anyone with information about the burglary or the vehicle is asked to contact the Mt. Juliet Police Department’s non-emergency line.
