MADISON, WI — Wisconsin deputies used Flock license plate camera data to follow a man across the state line into Michigan and back before stopping his vehicle and searching it for marijuana, court records show. The case came to light in a criminal complaint involving Edward Abrams-Phillips, who was wanted on a bail jumping warrant tied to domestic violence charges.
According to the complaint, officers relied on the travel pattern itself as part of their probable cause argument. Abrams-Phillips was later arrested on marijuana possession charges, while the bail jumping charge was dismissed.
How the stop was built
The charging document says deputies saw the vehicle hit on Flock multiple times, including locations in Marinette, Wisconsin, and then heading into Michigan. Police described Michigan as a known source state for marijuana because it is legal there, and said earlier Flock hits suggested Abrams-Phillips traveled there often.
Investigators then watched for the vehicle to return to Wisconsin. Once it was seen heading south toward Green Bay, deputies coordinated to intercept it on Interstate 41 and made the traffic stop after the driver matched Abrams-Phillips’ description.
What the records show
Each step was laid out in the complaint reviewed by 404 Media, which says the Flock searches happened in April 2025. The records indicate officers were not only looking for the wanted man, but also studying his interstate driving to justify a search for weed.
The complaint says the vehicle was seen on Flock near Brown Road, County Line, and Bridge Street as it moved toward Michigan, then later spotted heading back south. That sequence was used to support the stop that led to the marijuana arrest.
Why the case matters
The episode shows how automated plate-reader networks can be used in routine policing beyond a simple stolen-car or warrant check. Here, the records suggest the camera hits were used to help create the basis for a narcotics search, not just to locate a wanted suspect.
The outcome was narrow: the bail jumping case did not stick, and the remaining conviction in the records was for weed possession. The documents do not say the broader Flock use was challenged in court, only that it was central to how police carried out the stop.
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