Fake cop reported at Heritage Lake

Saturday, May 24, 2008

An unidentified man is apparently trying to make traffic stops in the Heritage Lake area -- even though he is not a law enforcement officer.

In an e-mail from an unidentified sender that made its way to the Banner Graphic this week, a woman recounts being stopped by the alleged impersonator on Heritage Drive.

"I remember coming up over a hill and passing a line of cars," the e-mail said. "I saw a black car that resembled an unmarked police car headed in the other direction."

The writer of the e-mail pulled into the driveway of a family member, she said, only to discover the black car had turned around, followed her and pulled into the driveway behind her.

"A man about 60-65 years of age wearing regular street clothes got out of the car holding a walkie-talkie in one hand and a 'badge' in the other," the e-mail said. "He yelled for me to stop and get my license and registration. He came up to the door, yelling and screaming at me about how fast I thought I was going. He even had a speed he had 'clocked' me at."

The e-mail said the man who made the stop was "very verbally abusive." He took the woman's license and registration, went back to his car and closed the door.

After a brief period of time, the man came back and threw the e-mail writer's license and registration at her, the e-mail said. A male family member of the e-mail writer had witnessed the exchange, and asked the alleged police officer for his name and badge number.

The supposed officer told the e-mail writer and her relative his name was none of their business.

He took off in his car before either witness could get a license plate number, the e-mail said.

The writer of the e-mail contacted the Putnam County Sheriff's Department and said she was told the department had already had three or four calls about incidents similar to what had happened to her.

On Friday afternoon, Roachdale Town Marshal Mike Mahoy said to his knowledge only the woman who wrote the e-mail had complained.

"I took a call Wednesday," Mahoy said. "So far as I know that's the only call."

Shortly before 3 p.m. Friday, scanner traffic indicated a man impersonating a police officer may have tried to make a traffic stop in the Heritage Lake area.

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  • so if they saw him face-to-face, what did he look like?

    you'd think that would have been mentioned.

    -- Posted by what_it's_worth on Sat, May 24, 2008, at 7:52 AM
  • Why is somebody calling the Roachdale Town Marshall about this? It's out of his jurisdiction. This imposter will continue to make stops because it sounds like he is arrogant and trying to be a vigilante. He'll eventually get stopped himself.

    -- Posted by purple_heat on Sat, May 24, 2008, at 10:00 AM
  • If the car is unmarked and you are not sure if he is a real cop, call 911 and give your location to make sure it is an officer. The officer should be telling them he is making a stop at that location.

    -- Posted by mad-mom on Sat, May 24, 2008, at 11:22 AM
  • unmarked car, no uniform, don't pull over...

    -- Posted by mist54 on Sat, May 24, 2008, at 5:16 PM
  • If a driver wants to challenge a police officer, drive to a police station or sheriffs Department.

    -- Posted by GRNT on Sun, May 25, 2008, at 6:45 AM
  • Indiana law states, I believe, that a police officer must either be in a marked car or in full uniform in an unmarked car to make a legal traffic stop.

    Like mad-mom stated, call 911 and tell them your location. If it's a fake cop I doubt he/she'd follow you into a well-lit area, i.e. a shopping area or gas station.

    -- Posted by Dagnabbit on Tue, May 27, 2008, at 7:29 AM
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