ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A man who pretended to be a police officer in a west-central Florida city was later arrested after he was found passed out behind the wheel of his vehicle, authorities said.
Willard Harlow Moore, 45, was charged with impersonating a police officer, driving under the influence and refusing to submit to DUI testing, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was released from the Pinellas County Jail on Tuesday morning after posting $5,650 bail, according to county records.
Police said Moore used red-and-blue flashing lights and a loudspeaker Monday night to order a motorist out of his vehicle Monday night in a St. Petersburg neighborhood, the newspaper reported.
According to police, at 8 p.m., Moore, driving a Dodge Ram truck with Ohio license plates, pulled behind a motorist and turned on flashing lights, the Times reported. According to the motorist, Moore used a loudspeaker to order him to exit his vehicle, the newspaper reported.
When the motorist asked Moore if he needed help from the police, Moore reportedly said, “I am the police, and I could arrest you,” according to an arrest affidavit. The motorist called the police, according to Times.
Officers later found Moore passed out in his truck, the newspaper reported. According to the arrest report, Moore told police officers he was a retired officer from Ohio.
Moore later admitted he had never been a police officer and was arrested, the Times reported.
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