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CASS COUNTY — An individual is impersonating a Cass County Sheriff’s Office deputy and pressuring people to make payments over the phone, according to authorities.

Over the past 24 hours, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office has received multiple phone calls from citizens stating they have been contacted by an individual claiming to be “Lt. Justin O’Brien” with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect then provides a false story regarding missing jury duty or a warrant that was issued for the victim(s) requiring payment in order to take care of the issue. In all cases the suspect used a phone number with a (269) area code in order to make the call appear to be legitimate. 

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office does not contact residents of Cass County via telephone demanding money or threatening to arrest individuals who do not provide payment. Furthermore, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Cass County Court do not request or accept payments that originate through money transfer locations such as Walmart, Walgreens, Meijer, Western Union, etc. 

The sheriff’s office asks those who receive a call from someone claiming to be with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and feel it was a scam to contact Cass County Dispatch at (269) 445-1560 to verify the identity of the law enforcement representative. 

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting an investigation into these incidents. 

“The Cass County Sheriff’s Office, recognizing its commitment of service to all citizens, will provide professional law enforcement and crime prevention in accordance with the highest possible standards of integrity and fairness,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release.