'Violence in front of my house': Iron County mom talks of repeated Flock camera vandalism

KANARRAVILLE, Iron County — A single mom of four is cleaning up a mess after a Flock camera was destroyed in front of her house late Sunday, and she said she has more questions than answers — even though she witnessed the crime in real time.

"At about 10 p.m. on the 23rd, I was sitting on my porch enjoying the gorgeous evening, and I heard something that sounded like my pigs were messing around with metal in their pen or slamming themselves into the carport," Mary Ellen Crase told KSL. "And then I heard all the saws, and then I knew exactly what was happening. Someone was knocking that camera down."

Crase said she witnessed two teenagers and yelled out, "I'm calling the cops," at which time she said they ran away. Police came, and two teens were arrested and are now being accused of cutting down that camera.

"Did I want the camera to be removed? Absolutely," Crase said. "However, I do not like the violence in front of my house."

This wasn't the first time Crase had experienced vandalism due to the Flock camera being in front of her home. In fact, she said that the vandalism started almost immediately when the first camera was installed about five months ago.

"Honestly, I had no idea about Flock cameras," she said. " I just didn't want it next to my driveway because it was a foot from my driveway, and I was scared I was going to hit it with my camper."

Crase never did hit the camera with her camper, but several months ago, she said, her camper was vandalized, and she believes that it had to do with similar vandalism that happened Sunday.

"I had a pop-up trailer in front to my property that I was selling, and I went out and saw it had been moved about 70 feet from where it originally was and it side-swiped the camera," she said. "At this point, I didn't think it was connected at all; I was focused on my camper and not the pole.

"I asked for footage of who hit the camper, and the officers said they didn't have any authority or any way to access it," she continued. "Three to four days later, someone put a sign in front to my house that said, 'Flock cameras. Watch your every move. Don't be sheep.'"

The sudden vandalism near her home prompted Crase to look into who was responsible for putting the camera there in the first place. She said she asked Kanarraville city and was told it was Cedar City police, and then she said she was told it was the Iron County Sheriff's Office.

She said she was not asking because she was against the camera itself, but merely because she didn't want violence near her home. She said she got no clear answers, and come mid-July, she saw signs of another camera being installed in the very same place in front of her home.

"There was a mark on the ground and a circle where the old camera was, and I knew they were going to put another Flock camera there," she said. "I called the sheriff and asked if they could move it 50 feet south so it's not in front of my house. They said they didn't have any control over where they put them, but that Flock does."

Not much later, she said she noticed a car parked by her house, and she went out to talk to the individual who was there to install the new camera. At that point, she asked the individual for some information so she could contact the company and ask it directly.

The individual sent Crase a screenshot of the work order, which has been obtained by KSL, where it says that the camera was being installed for the Iron County Sheriff's Office. The work order also named the company as Flock Inc., and gave a company address, an email and phone number. Crase attempted to reach out to all contact info provided and said she has made "no human" contact.

Crase said that a new camera to replace the previously damaged one was installed on July 18. During that time, she said she had made some observations that are concerning to her.

"Something that I've observed about this camera is that it's on the west side of the road pointed northbound," she said. "If it is what they say, which is a license plate reader, it would be pointed more east and down. However, the camera is pointed toward the people going southbound. It's pointed more north and up, and it looks very much like it is capturing who's driving.

"Every time that I pulled into my driveway, the camera's light went on and recorded me coming from the north," she added. "Coming south, it never once went off. I would watch it and see if when a car drove past going northbound, because that's what supposedly it's doing. Never once did it go off when people were going southbound. Utah is a front license plate state. It didn't make any sense."

Crase said that all her observations aside, her main concern has been the safety of herself and her children.

"I just don't like the violence," she said. "I am a survivor of domestic violence, and my children are. They should not be subject to violence in front of our house or the fear of violence in front of our house because a camera was put up. And I don't want a third one installed."

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