St. Johns County man impersonating an officer arrested on felony charge after trying to pull over detective in unmarked car

A St. Johns County man with police lights in his car is accused of pulling over a detective in an unmarked car, who ended up having to investigate the alleged crime. The detective says he was legally passing a car, but that car then turned its red and blue lights on and tried to pull the detective over, according to a report in the Florida Times-Union. The detective did pull over but, once he did, the man allegedly drove off. The detective then followed him and turned on his own lights, pulling the man over, the newspaper reported. Police said the man gave several stories as to how he had the lights, but police didn’t believe him so they issued a warrant for his arrest. He was not immediately arrested at the scene. But when he went to the Sheriff’s Office to return the lights, he saw the detective he pulled over, who arrested him on the warrant and booked him into the county jail.

The man is charged with impersonating a police officer and unlawful use of blue lights. Impersonating a police officer is the more serious of the two crimes. The St. Johns County Felony Crime is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. Unlawful use of blue lights is a first-degree misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in the county jail. In cases like this St. Johns County Felony Case, where there is a felony and a misdemeanor, prosecutors may agree to drop one of the two cases and combine the two. One thing that could benefit the defendant in this St. Johns County Felony Case is that he was voluntarily bringing the lights back to the police department. His timing, as it turns out, may not have been the best. But the actual fact of returning the equipment is a start at something for a St. Johns County Criminal Defense Attorney to work with in terms of getting the best result possible for a client. It doesn’t excuse the alleged crime, especially in the minds of police who take these crimes very seriously, but it does show an element of taking responsibility for one’s alleged actions.

There also may have been something to the man’s initial story – enough that he was not arrested on the spot and the detective instead chose to issue a warrant for the man’s arrest. The overwhelming majority of St. Johns County Felony Cases do not end up in trial, but rather resolve in some type of negotiated agreement between the state and the defense. Our St. Johns County Criminal Defense attorney will thoroughly investigate your case and explain your options going forward so you or your loved one can make an informed decision about how to proceed.

If you or a loved one needs a criminal defense attorney in Jacksonville or the surrounding area, call The Mussallem Law Firm at (904) 365-5200 for a FREE CONSULTATION. Our St. Johns County Felony Crimes Attorney, Victoria “Tori” Mussallem, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.