Documented Incident
Hancock County, Ind. deputy arrested, accused of running 6,190 plate-reader searches on wife and ex-girlfriends
Event: September 24, 2026 · First reported: September 28, 2026 · 4 sources
Indiana State Police arrested Hancock County Sheriff's Office deputy James Heneghan, 33, on Thursday, Sept. 24, on charges including intimidation, more than 440 counts of official misconduct and fraud. Investigators say an audit of the automated license plate reader database uncovered unauthorized searches tied to people Heneghan knew, including his wife and former girlfriends. Court documents allege more than 6,190 searches between December 2024 and March 2026, only 40 of which were made while he was on duty. The allegations have not been tested in court; Heneghan was booked into the Hancock County Jail with a court date set for Oct. 29.
The case illustrates how ALPR audit logs can surface personal misuse of surveillance systems — and how long such searches may continue before detection, since the alleged activity spanned more than a year before an unrelated complaint triggered the investigation.
Key facts
- Indiana State Police say their investigation began in April 2026 after a family member reported threatening text messages and claimed Heneghan was using police technology to track people.
- Court documents allege more than 1,100 searches for his wife's vehicle, more than 1,100 for a man who knew his wife, and more than 200 for a former high school girlfriend.
- Investigators say Heneghan entered justifications such as 'OWI arrest' or 'police investigation' for the searches, though the people searched had no significant criminal history in the county.
- He is also alleged to have conducted a traffic stop on an ex-girlfriend's child after locating them through a Flock search.
- The sheriff's office placed Heneghan on leave when the allegations surfaced; the arrest followed charges filed a day earlier against five Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers over alleged Flock camera misuse.
Timeline
- September 28, 2026Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested After Allegedly Used Flock Cameras To Stalk Wife, Ex-Girlfriends
- September 24, 2026Hancock County deputy arrested for license plate reader database misuse, threats
- September 24, 2026Sheriff’s deputy arrested following investigation into threatening texts, misuse of license plate readers
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy Arrested After Allegedly Used Flock Cameras To Stalk Wife, Ex-Girlfriends (inkfreenews.com, September 28, 2026)
- Hancock County deputy arrested for license plate reader database misuse, threats (WISH-TV, September 24, 2026)
- Hancock County deputy arrested for license plate reader database misuse, threats (yahoo.com, September 24, 2026)
- Sheriff’s deputy arrested following investigation into threatening texts, misuse of license plate readers (WRTV, September 24, 2026)
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About this record
BlockFlockNow documents reported incidents involving Flock Safety cameras and automated license plate readers: council votes, contract decisions, misuse by authorized users, lawsuits, audits, and community response. Every record is reviewed by a person before publication. New to the topic? Start with What is Flock?, find meetings near you, or learn how to request your town's camera records.
Updated October 12, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.