Motorists are warned that a man posing as a police officer pulled over a vehicle last week and had the driver submit to what he said was an alcohol breath test. A 40-year-old Portage woman was on her way home from work at 2:30 p.m. July 17 when she was pulled over on Evergreen Avenue in the area of Clydia Street, according to Police Chief Troy Williams.
The dark blue car, which was possibly a Ford Crown Victoria, had flashing red and blue lights on the dashboard, but no siren, he said in a press release. The man who approached her vehicle following the stop was described as white, approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall, younger than 40 with short dark brown or black hair, and a pencil thin mustache, police said. The man wore a dark blue shirt, badge, radio and handcuffs, but no weapon was seen.
The man posing as a police officer told the woman he noticed her car parked at the bar where she works and had her blow into what he said was a portable alcohol breath test, police said. After telling the woman she passed the test, he said he was letting her go with a warning. The woman said she decided to report the incident to police after talking it over with her husband, police said.
“We are notifying the public to make them aware of the incident, to check if there were similar incidents and to remind people that if you feel there is something suspicious with a traffic stop to call 911 and/or ask for a Patrol Supervisor to come to the scene,” Williams said.