Flock camera technology played a key role in a Greene County investigation that led to the conviction of a California man on nine felony charges involving a 12-year-old eastern Greene County girl, according to the Greene County Sheriff's Office.

The investigation began on Sept. 23, 2024, after the Greene County Sheriff's Office received a report of a missing 12-year-old girl from Eastern Greene County. Deputies and detectives launched an investigation to locate the juvenile, eventually determining she had been taken to a motel in Lawrence County.

According to the sheriff's office, information obtained through the county's Flock Safety license plate reader system helped investigators confirm the identity of the suspect. Authorities said the technology also aided in the suspect's arrest in northern Indiana a few days later.

On Sept. 26, 2024, Bernardo R. Tapia, a California resident and convicted sex offender, was arrested and charged with nine felony offenses in Lawrence County.

Greene County detectives and deputies later testified during a jury trial in Lawrence Superior Court 2, which was prosecuted by the Greene County Prosecutor's Office. The jury found Tapia guilty on all nine felony counts, including two counts of Level 1 felony rape, two counts of Level 1 felony child molesting, two counts of Level 2 felony promotion of child sexual trafficking, two counts of Level 6 felony strangulation and one count of Level 6 felony obstruction of justice.

Tapia is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 27 in Lawrence Superior Court.

The sheriff's office said investigators determined Tapia had been communicating with numerous underage girls in multiple states and believes additional victims could have resulted had he not been arrested.

The Greene County Sheriff's Office credited the FBI, Indiana State Police, the Greene County Prosecutor's Office and the Lawrence County Prosecutor's Office for their assistance throughout the investigation.

This story also provides timely local context given the sheriff's recent launch of the Flock Transparency Portal, illustrating a real-world case in which investigators say the technology helped identify a suspect and bring a criminal case to trial.