Cottonwood Police Department arrested a teen, on Thursday, Jan. 15, in an allegedly stolen vehicle with a 16-year-old girl who was a reported missing person.
Jeremiah Trantham, 18, of Surprise, reportedly entered the city of Cottonwood with a 16-year-old girl on Jan. 15 at 11:43 a.m. CPD was alerted to the vehicle through a Flock Safety automatic license plate reader alert.
“We are actively investigating the driver, Jeremiah Trantham, for kidnapping and other potential charges involving the 16-year-old female,” CPD Sgt. Chad Sinn stated.
“Officers located the vehicle, a green Dodge Ram pickup truck reported stolen out of Pinal County, traveling on South Main Street,” CPD wrote in a press release. “When officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop, the driver fled at a high rate of speed, leading officers on a pursuit.”
Trantham allegedly collided with a marked Cottonwood police vehicle and nearly struck an officer with his vehicle while the officer was setting up a tire deflation device.
“The pursuit ended after officers successfully deployed stop sticks, bringing the vehicle to a stop near Clarkdale Parkway,” CPD wrote. “Officers conducted a high-risk vehicle stop and safely took both occupants into custody.”
The vehicle was returned to its rightful owner and the girl was safely recovered.
“Trantham was arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal damage, endangerment and reckless driving,” CPD press release reads.
He is currently in custody at the Yavapai County Detention Center in Camp Verde with no bond.
Flock Safety ALPR cameras record the license plate and make and model of all vehicles passing through the camera’s field of view. CPD’s policy for ALPRs is a 30-day retention of collected data before it is expunged from its system. ALPRs are viewed by privacy advocates as an invasion of civil liberties and a tool of mass surveillance. Sedona City Council to unanimously vote to terminate its contract with Flock safety and remove all of its 11 ALPRs from city limits in August after they had been installed without public notice in June.
