MURFREESBORO, TN (WGNS) - Murfreesboro police say a mix of license‑plate reader alerts and drone technology helped them track down a stolen vehicle from Indiana and arrest a suspect over the weekend. Officers took 26‑year‑old Tehren Wiley into custody Sunday (2/15/2026) at a home on Wiseman Place, charging him with theft of property valued between $2,500 and $10,000.
The case started when the city’s network of LPR cameras flagged a black 2013 Chevrolet Malibu that had been reported stolen. Patrol officers quickly found the car parked in a driveway on Wiseman Place. Before approaching the home, police surrounded the area and deployed a drone to get a safer, clearer look at what they were walking into. Wiley was detained a short time later.
He was booked into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center and later released on a $7,500 bond. His court hearing is set for March 23, 2026, in Rutherford County General Sessions Court.
Incidents like this are becoming more common as Murfreesboro leans into the capabilities of its Real Time Crime Center, which was launched in the summer of 2024. The center gives officers immediate access to cameras, license‑plate readers, mapping tools, and other high‑tech systems that help them locate suspects and stolen vehicles faster than ever before. Police say the technology has already changed the pace of investigations, allowing officers to respond in real time rather than piecing things together hours later.
It’s a major shift from the days when officers had to rely on delayed reports or sift through video after the fact. Now, information comes in instantly, and officers can act on it just as quickly. That speed is sending a clear message to criminals who pass through the area: Murfreesboro is watching, and the odds of slipping away are shrinking.
Still, even with all this technology, there are limits. Real Time Crime Centers must operate within state and federal laws, court rulings, and local policies. Privacy protections, data‑retention rules, and oversight requirements shape how tools like cameras and LPRs can be used. They’re powerful, but they’re not unrestricted.
What they are, police say, is effective — and this weekend’s arrest is the latest example.
