Springdale's network of Flock license-plate cameras helped police track down a murder suspect on Interstate 275 after a fatal workplace shooting in Mason on July 22.
A Warren County grand jury indicted David Cohen, 34, on Aug. 31 on charges of aggravated murder with a firearm specification, murder with a firearm specification and having weapons under disability, WLWT reported.
Cohen is accused of fatally shooting Vincent Stoetzel, 29, inside a warehouse at Carter Lumber on Reading Road in Mason. Mason police found Stoetzel dead when they arrived.
Employees quickly identified Cohen as the suspected shooter. He had worked at the facility for about one week before quitting the weekend prior, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell.
That fast identification allowed investigators to locate Cohen's vehicle through Flock cameras, the automated license-plate readers Springdale and other area departments use. Police arrested Cohen on I-275 in Springdale. Body-camera footage showed an officer ordering Cohen to drop a gun from the vehicle.
Fornshell said Cohen was "only at the lumber facility for three minutes from the time he appears on camera until the time he departs." The prosecutor called Cohen "very mission oriented in terms of killing Mr. Stoetzel that day."
No known dispute
Fornshell said the shooting did not stem from a workplace conflict. Cohen and Stoetzel knew each other through an arm wrestling club Stoetzel had started, and Stoetzel helped Cohen get the job at Carter Lumber. Fornshell described their relationship as friendly.
The prosecutor attributed the alleged motive to a mental health issue on Cohen's part. Fornshell said there were no employment disputes and that Cohen would not have been viewed as a disgruntled employee when he resigned.
Fornshell described Stoetzel as a churchgoing family man from Union Township in Clermont County who left behind a wife, four children and a newborn.
Springdale's camera network
Springdale's Flock camera system scans license plates and alerts officers when a flagged vehicle is detected. During a February 7 Springdale City Council meeting, Councilmember Gleaves described the system after a ride-along with a Springdale police sergeant, noting the cameras cover stolen vehicles, missing persons and other alerts.
Cohen is held at Warren County Jail. His defense attorney, Craig Newburger, has not publicly commented on the charges. Cohen's arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 2.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Mason Police or the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.
