The same automated license plate reader technology now deployed across The Woodlands helped Conroe police arrest a wanted sexual assault suspect on Thursday, July 30, after a Flock camera flagged his vehicle in real time.

The Conroe Police Department's Crime Reduction Unit received an alert from the department's Flock Felony Warrant Hotlist indicating a vehicle linked to an outstanding sexual assault warrant had passed a camera, according to the department. Officers converged on the area and spotted the vehicle near the intersection of N. Loop 336 W. and N. Frazier St.

The unit pulled the vehicle over in the 800 block of N. Loop 336 W. and identified the driver as Dragon Wood-Hillman, 31, who was wanted on the sexual assault warrant. A K9 alerted on the vehicle during a subsequent search, and officers recovered approximately 6 grams of methamphetamine.

Wood-Hillman was booked on the outstanding warrant and faces additional narcotics charges.

The department said in a statement published Friday, July 31 that it was grateful for the technology that helped officers quickly locate and safely arrest the suspect.

Flock cameras spread across Montgomery County

The system works by scanning plates of passing vehicles and cross-referencing them against law enforcement databases of stolen cars and wanted individuals. A match triggers an immediate notification to officers.

At least seven Montgomery County agencies now use Flock cameras, including the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, which began deploying 30 cameras throughout The Woodlands in early 2026 after the Township Board approved $109,500 in funding. Conroe PD also operates Flock-branded cameras, having received a Texas Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grant for automated license plate readers in 2022, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Atlas of Surveillance.

MCSO Command Capt. Rhyan Droddy explained the alert mechanism at a May 28 Township Board presentation: "If your vehicle is stolen, as soon as the police report is made, we enter the vehicle in the Texas Crime Information Center, and it is uploaded into the National Crime Information Center database. If it hits Flock, Flock will check it against the records and it'll flag us."

The cameras capture license plates and surrounding vehicle details but do not use facial recognition. Data is automatically deleted after 30 days.

Conroe PD's Facebook post announcing the arrest drew 322 reactions and 237 comments as of Friday, July 31.

Residents with information related to this case can contact the Conroe Police Department at (936) 522-3237.