Police investigating possible officer impersonation

Published 8:00 am Thursday, December 22, 2016

Update: Police have located the suspect, a 53-year-old Jones man, according to release from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

County authorities are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man suspected of impersonating a police officer near Jones Tuesday afternoon.

According to officials with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to a Shell gas station in Newberg Township around 2 p.m., after receiving a call from two individuals who said a vehicle had attempted to stop them while traveling on M-40.

The individuals told police that, while driving down the state highway near Harvey Street, a red GMC Jimmy SUV pulled up closely behind them and activated white flashing lights while attempting to pass them. The SUV continued to tail the vehicle until the driver pulled into the gas station, where the driver of the GMC pulled his vehicle up next to them, said Capt. Tom Jacobs with the department.

“He then rolled down his windows and said to them, ‘You are lucky I am on an emergency call right now, or I would be taking you to jail,’” Jacobs said.

The SVU then sped off, he said.

In spite of his threats to arrest them, the man did not show any kind of identification to the two individuals to prove he was a member of law enforcement.

The suspect is described as a white man, between the ages of 65 and 70, with white hair and a beard. He was wearing a black hat or cap at the time of the incident.

His vehicle is described as four-door, red SVU, with equipment racks loaded with gear on top, with white flashing lights and large antennas installed on it. The vehicle also had multiple bumper stickers, including one that said “rescue” on the front hood/bug screen area.

Authorities believe the suspect is a civilian, and not an off-duty officer, Jacobs said.

“The only other option would be that he was a first responder who was in route somewhere,” he said. “We did not have any immediate calls in our area at the time, though.”

Although the Michigan State Police have fielded complaints over the last two to three years of vehicles in the area disguised as police cars attempting to stop others, this is the first such case reported to the sheriff’s office in recent years, Jacobs said.

People with information about this incident are encouraged to contact the sheriff’s office at (269) 445-1560 or through the anonymous tip line at 1-800-462-9328.