License Plate Readers Lead to Safe Recovery of Abducted Child

Sheriff Brian Hawthorne reports that on September 8, 2026, the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office received a request from Beaufort County, South Carolina, regarding an abducted 12-year-old child who had been taken by his non-custodial father, Dean Caruselle. Authorities believed Caruselle may have been attempting to flee to Mexico with the child.

 

Deputies searched the county’s license plate reader network for the vehicle Caruselle was believed to be traveling in. After canvassing the area the vehicle was last reported near, deputies located the vehicle at a hotel in near the interstate, safely recovered the child, and arrested Caruselle.

 

“There are a lot of untruths circulating about license plate reader technology – not facts but falsehoods. It is a lawful and effective tool and this is what it looks like when that technology is put to work for the right reasons. Here’s the truth: they save lives, catch criminals, and keep the public safe. Bottom line. In just 16 minutes, our deputies were able to turn information from an agency 1,000 miles away into the safe recovery of an abducted child. This case is a perfect example of why these tools matter.”