KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — Officers with the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office are searching for a man impersonating law enforcement in the county, particularly in Port Orchard.
The man has been making traffic stops while driving a dark, 4-door Dodge Charger with the word "Washington" painted on the side. The car even had red and blue emergency lights installed in the front grill. However, the car has no lights attached to the roof.
A woman called 911 on Feb. 24 after being pulled over by a man near Port Orchard. She was stopped near Lider Road and Bethel Road. She said the man claimed to be law enforcement but his behavior was suspicious.
A man got out of the vehicle and presented himself to the woman as a law enforcement officer.
However, the woman said something didn’t feel right, so when she got home, she called 911.
Deputies investigated and made a surprising discovery when they ran her license plates.
“If she had been pulled over by a legitimate law enforcement agency, or law enforcement officer, there would’ve been a record that a car with that plate had been stopped in this area, at this time,” says Kevin McCarty, public information officer for the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. “There was no record of that.”
The Sheriff’s Office put out a warning about the imposter on social media, and soon received responses from residents saying they’ve also been pulled over by this vehicle.
Deputies are now hoping more people share their stories to give them a better chance at catching the imposter.
“Why is this individual doing this? We’re trying to determine that," McCarty said. "The more people that come forward, if it turns out that they’ve had an encounter with the same individual, maybe we can put together a pattern and figure that out.”
Deputies are also working to track this man down fast before the encounters escalate.
“In some cases, these things have been dangerous,” McCarty warned. “There have been assaults associated with this. We haven’t seen that happening, and we hope not to see it happen, that’s why we want to put a stop to it.”
The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office advises anyone who has concerns about a traffic stop to pull into a safe, public location and not in a dark or secluded area.
Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or email KCSOTips@kitsap.gov. Reference case # K24-001722.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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