Child molester wanted in California arrested after FLOCK alert – Bowie News

By BARBARA GREEN
(email protected)
The Flock Safety System, deployed by the Montague County Sheriff’s Office during a 90-day trial, alerted officers to a stolen vehicle from California but led to the arrest of a wanted suspect on child sex abuse charges.
Last month, Sheriff Marshall Thomas asked the district court for permission to test the system, which accesses a database of cameras across the country that monitor traffic. During that test, the district court can access the cameras in Wichita County used by those departments.
On May 28, Deputy Daniel Carter saw a report of a stolen vehicle from California being spotted on US Highway 287 and Farm-to-Market Road 369 in Wichita County and later on Fisher Road. Carter followed up on the reports and went to Highway 287 to look for the possible stolen vehicle.
Thomas said Carter contacted the California jurisdiction where the car was reported stolen, but discovered that Garnald Emarson Nickings, 59, of Patterson, California, had multiple warrants for sexual abuse of a child.
Apparently the arrest warrants had not yet been entered into the national database. Carter also received a description of the man.
While on patrol, Carter spotted the suspect’s vehicle and saw it pull up at Sunset Gas and Grill. The deputy called for backup and Investigator Ryan Blackburn arrived.

Nickings was arrested on the following warrants: Aggravated Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault of a Victim Under 14, Sexual Abuse of a Child, Continuous Sexual Abuse, Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child 10 Years or Older, and Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child 10 Years or Younger.

His bail totaled $500,000 and he remains in the county jail awaiting pickup by California authorities.

Read the full story in this weekend’s Bowie News.