By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
The Flock Safety System, being used on a 90-day trial by the Montague County Sheriff’s office, alerted officers to a stolen vehicle out of California, but it lead to the arrest of a wanted child sexual abuse suspect.
Last month Sheriff Marshall Thomas asked the commissioner’s court for approval to test out the system that accesses a database of cameras across the country that monitor traffic. During this trial the SO can access the cameras around Wichita County, used by those departments.
On May 28, Deputy Daniel Carter saw an alert for a stolen vehicle from California that was seen on U.S. Highway 287 and Farm-to-Market Road 369 in Wichita County and later on Fisher Road. Carter monitored the alerts and went to Hwy. 287 to watch for the possibly stolen vehicle.
Thomas explained Carter followed up with the California jurisdiction where the car was reported stolen, but then found Garnald Emarson Nickings, 59, Patterson, CA, had multiple warrants for sexual abuse of a child.
It appeared the warrants had not yet been entered into the national database. Carter also got a description of the man.
During his patrol Carter saw the suspect vehicle and saw it stop at Sunset Gas and Grill. The deputy called for backup with Investigator Ryan Blackburn arriving.

Nickings was arrested on the following warrants: Aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault of a victim under the age of 14, sexual abuse of a child continual sexual abuse, aggravated sexual assault of a child 10 years or older and aggravated sexual assault of child 10 years or younger.

Bonds totaled $500,000 and he remains in the county jail awaiting pick-up by California authorities.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.