Tampa Bay Criminal Defense Lawyer - Fake Police...Real Crime

By Nick Dorsten, Esq.

From the st. pete times website, a man poses as a cop and the female victim pays the price...

TAMPA — For the second time within a year in Tampa, police say a man posed as a cop and sexually battered a woman.

Police arrested the suspect, 29, on charges of impersonating a police officer, sexual battery and kidnapping.

They say that on Wednesday afternoon, the suspect saw a 19-year-old woman arguing with her boyfriend at Rome and Waters avenues and stopped to talk to them.

He told them he was an off-duty police officer and said he would give the woman a ride home, police said.

The woman's boyfriend questioned whether the man really was an officer. The suspect responded that he wasn't allowed to carry a badge while off duty and threatened to arrest the boyfriend if he interfered, police said.

Surveillance footage showed the suspect stopped at a Bank of America on N Florida Avenue to withdraw money, which he later told police was for rent. He then drove past the victim's home and parked in a CVS store lot at 9202 N Florida Ave.

He then proceeded to batter the woman there, police said. The woman escaped, police said, and she hid in some bushes and called 911.

Once apprehended, the suspect changed his story several times before admitting he went too far, police said. He was being held in jail without bail.

In 2003, police arrested the same suspect on charges of soliciting prostitution. That charge was dropped.

Another man faced similar charges last summer after he posed as a cop and raped a woman on Bayshore Boulevard. That man was found guilty of kidnapping and sexual battery and sentenced to life in prison.

A police spokeswoman said the department encourages people to "go with their gut" if they have questions about a person's law enforcement bona fides. The couple doubted the suspect at the beginning, a sign that something wasn't right.

There's nothing wrong with courteously telling an officer that you'd like to call 911 to verify your location, the spokeswoman said. Also, off-duty officers do carry a badge, and Tampa police officers also have police identification with photographs on them.

Have you or a loved one been arrested for a criminal charge? Then contact the St. Petersburg criminal defense attorneys of Blake & Dorsten, P.A. for a free consultation!

For more information, or to speak directly with experienced St. Petersburg criminal defense lawyers please contact BLAKE & DORSTEN, P.A. at 727.286.6141 or email the lawyers your questions at: info@blakedorstenlaw.com. We are located at 4707 140th Ave N, Suite 104 in Clearwater, across from the criminal courthouse in the airport business center, minutes from Tampa and St. Petersburg.