What started as a routine license-plate alert on Wednesday afternoon ended with Kingston police hauling in a driver wanted on felony warrants in two states, seizing his white Nissan van and scooping up multiple packages inside, according to authorities.
Police say a Flock license plate reader flagged the van on a hotlist, prompting officers to search the area. They later found the vehicle parked outside Rocky Top on West Race Street, where Kingston officers, backed up by the Roane County Sheriff's Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, moved in and arrested the driver and towed the van as part of an ongoing investigation.
According to WVLT, the alert hit around 3:57 p.m. on a white Nissan van whose driver was listed on felony warrants out of North Carolina. Officers tracked the van to the Rocky Top at 200 W. Race Street and identified the driver as 26-year-old Elvis Ibarguen Salazar of Colombia. KPD told the station that Salazar was taken into custody at the scene and that officers seized the van and several packages found inside.
Flock camera alert led officers straight to the van
According to Flock Safety, its camera network reads license plates and can ping officers with near-real-time alerts whenever a vehicle tied to a hotlist passes one of its cameras. Departments then use those alerts to zero in on suspect vehicles quickly, a tool that law enforcement agencies say has paid off in cases involving stolen cars and organized theft rings.
Allegations point to multi-state thefts
KPD told WVLT that Salazar is suspected in a string of thefts and break-ins across Tennessee and North Carolina and could be tied to a broader criminal organization. The department also said he had active felony warrants out of Williamson County, Tennessee, and emphasized that the case remains under investigation.
What comes next
Authorities say formal charges, along with any extradition requests, will move through the courts as investigators keep building the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kingston Police Department or the Roane County Sheriff's Office.
