Anderson Township Man Sentenced to 12 Years for Kidnapping and Sexual Assault of Elderly Woman

Zachary Dickinson sentenced to 12 years for sexual assault in Warren County. Flock cameras helped police track the suspect after he followed his victim home.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 19, 2026, 5:04 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from FOX 19

A Predatory Attack in Deerfield Township

The legal proceedings following a harrowing assault on a senior citizen reached a definitive conclusion in a Warren County courtroom. Zachary Dickinson, a resident of Anderson Township, received a sentence of eight to 12 years in prison for his role in the sexual assault of a 79 year old woman. According to investigators, the incident began as a calculated act of stalking, where Dickinson identified his victim at a local Walmart in August of last year and followed her back to her residence in Deerfield Township to carry out the attack.

The Crucial Role of Victim Testimony

The victim's alertness in the immediate aftermath of the assault proved to be a cornerstone of the prosecution's case. Despite the trauma of the encounter, the woman was able to provide detectives with specific details regarding the suspect's vehicle. According to court testimony, she successfully identified several digits of Dickinson's license plate as he fled the scene. This initial lead gave law enforcement the necessary starting point to transition from a general search to a targeted investigation involving digital surveillance assets.

Flock Camera Technology as an Investigative Catalyst

The integration of modern surveillance tools was essential in bridging the gap between the victim's description and the suspect's location. Detectives deployed Flock Safety cameras, which are designed to capture high resolution images of license plates and cross reference them with national databases. According to Flock spokesperson Holly Beilin, these systems allow authorities to determine if a specific vehicle is wanted in connection with a crime in real time. In this case, the technology allowed investigators to isolate Dickinson's vehicle from thousands of others passing through the region.