An 18-year-old Sauk Rapids resident is facing up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine after authorities say he sawed off a metal pole on which an automated license plate reader camera was mounted.

The incident took place on June 24, according to a Stearns County District Court complaint filed on Tuesday.

According to the complaint, Bradley Allen Smith purchased red saw blades from Runnings in St. Cloud before driving to the location of a license plate camera reader near 1st Street North and Fifth Avenue North. There, Smith cut down the pole, according to the complaint. He later admitted to law enforcement that he bought the saw and cut down a camera, according to the complaint.

The estimated cost of damage was $3,525, according to the police complaint about the incident. The camera has been reinstalled.

License plate cameras such as Flock and Axon are increasingly becoming targets of vandalism. The cameras automatically take photos of passing cars, identifying the vehicle’s model, color, license plate number and other visible information.

The cameras have become extremely controversial nationally. Critics have pointed to a troubling series of stories that have emerged nationally in recent months. Those include instances of mistakes leading to innocent people being stopped and detained at gunpoint, as well as officers using data to stalk women.

Others have raised broader concerns about increased surveillance in daily life, the collection of data by a private company, dangers of artificial intelligence, and potential tracking of immigrants or women seeking abortions.

At least four cameras have been vandalized in the greater St. Cloud area, according to the St. Cloud and Sartell police departments. There are about 24 cameras in the greater St. Cloud area, according to DeFlock, an online publicly sourced group that maps license plate camera locations. The cameras are owned by the St. Cloud Police Department, Sartell Police Department, Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office and private businesses.