According to court documents, on April 26, 2023, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the Office of Data Discovery and Forensic Analysis (ODDFA) alerted police officers in the area to suspicious activity near a telephone pole at Carnival Village. Using technology that employs computer vision and machine learning, ODDFA said that there was a 96% chance that at least one person in the group had a weapon. The technology also highlighted unusual, stress-related behavior indicative of criminal activity among a group of individuals.

ODDFA provided the VIPD with video footage as well as still images on which were drawn a yellow circle highlighting which individuals may have been armed with a weapon. Responding officers approached the group, allegedly smelled marijuana, and confronted one of the men who had been included in the yellow circle – Joseph Samuel Fenton.

Fenton was ordered by one officer to turn around and place his hands on a nearby trailer. As he was being escorted to the trailer, the officer discovered a handgun on the man’s hip, which fell to the ground during the arrest. Fenton admitted to not having a license to possess a firearm, and was detained.

At the police station, forensic analysis revealed the gun had an obliterated serial number and thus Joseph Fenton was arrested and charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm with an obliterated serial number, and possession of ammunition.

He was held on $50,000 bail while awaiting his first court appearance, which was scheduled for Friday April 28. As of press time, there have been no details as to whether any potential pre-trial release has been assessed.