A license plate reader alert sent Portland police officers racing to Meadowbrook Park on Monday, where they found a registered sex offender’s car parked near children playing nearby. Officers arrested 45-year-old Scott Zachary Myers of Portland without incident and booked him into the Sumner County Jail on two counts of violating the state’s sex offender registry.
According to WNKY, the city’s Automated License Plate Reader system alerted officers to a vehicle registered to Myers entering Meadowbrook Park on Monday. Officers responded to the park and located the vehicle, driven by Myers, and the outlet reports that children were present at the park when they arrived. Myers is listed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry for a conviction of receipt and distribution of child sexual exploitation material, per the same report.
What Police Say Led to the Arrest
Portland police allege that Myers created and maintained a social media account that he never disclosed, as required under Tennessee’s sex offender registration laws, according to WSMV. That undisclosed account forms the basis for the two counts against him. The station, which credited reporter Kassidy Brown for the account, said Myers was arrested without incident and booked into the Sumner County Jail. WNKY’s report notes the investigation remains ongoing, and no further details on the account itself have been released.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation maintains the statewide registry that governs these disclosure requirements, and the rules for what offenders must report are laid out in the state’s own Sex Offender Law Quick Reference. Residents can check the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry directly for information on registered individuals in their area.
A Camera Network With a Track Record
This isn’t the first time Portland’s license plate readers have led police to a wanted person. On July 17, the same ALPR system pinged on a vehicle belonging to Anthony Walker, who had active warrants out for his arrest in another county, as reported by WSMV. Police said Walker had seven warrants in Rutherford County for sexual exploitation of a minor by electronic means, and he was taken into custody and held in the Sumner County Jail before being transferred to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office.
As of September 2025, the Portland Police Department operated seven Flock Safety automated license plate readers, according to the Atlas of Surveillance. Several other Midstate communities, including Mt. Juliet and Lebanon, have adopted similar camera systems as a policing tool, though Metro Nashville has yet to approve the technology, per WSMV’s earlier reporting.
How the Technology Is Meant to Work
Flock Safety, the company behind the camera network, has stressed that an alert is meant to function as a lead rather than a final determination, with officers expected to confirm details in person before taking action, the company says on its own blog. The company has also said it is moving toward a seven-day default data retention period and introducing what it calls Evidence Mode to preserve information tied to active investigations. Flock Safety added that it would require case codes for all law enforcement searches by the end of 2026, with any emergency bypasses subject to administrator review.
Portland police have not released additional details about the specific social media account Myers allegedly failed to disclose, and WNKY’s report indicates the investigation is continuing. No court date or bond information has been made public in connection with the two registry violation counts.
