Fixed license plate reader in Marietta leads to first arrest

After a license plate associated with Coulter led to a notification, “officers were able to locate and arrest the suspect that may have otherwise continued hiding in plain sight,” the statement said.

Authorities did not disclose the location of the fixed reader, which was “quietly installed” several months ago.

In 2013, the police department bought its first two mobile license plate readers, which were mounted on cars, police spokesman Officer Chuck McPhilamy said.

The police department has not tracked how many citations or arrests came from the mobile units, he said.

The police department plans to meet with business owners and apartment complex managers in the hopes of installing more fixed units in the next few months.

“Strategically implementing technology will enable us to continue to reduce crime within our city,” the statement said.

Coulter was wanted for allegedly violently assaulting his girlfriend late last month. They were in the process of breaking up and she was trying to get him to leave her apartment, a police report stated.

According to the warrant, they got in an argument and Coulter allegedly punched the woman in the face about 10 times, stomped her head into the ground and threatened her with a butcher knife. He also allegedly snatched her iPhone and left the scene.

According to the police report, Coulter “stood over her and waved the knife back and forth in her direction shouting, ‘You know I can kill you, right?’”

He is being held at the Cobb County jail without bond, according to records.

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that Coulter was arrested due to Marietta's first fixed license plate reader. The mobile license plate readers purchased in 2013 were the first readers in Marietta; the police department installed the fixed ones earlier this year.

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