TAMPA, Florida – Late Sunday evening, police arrested 24-year-old Jonathan Charles Stevens after they say he hit the red and blue flashing lights in Chevrolet Tahoe to stop a Tampa officer to report a reckless driver in Ybor City.
Stevens told the female officer that he was a Homeland Security Officer and wanted to report a reckless driver. He wore a badge around his neck and let her know he was carrying a Glock .45-caliber handgun. He also reportedly called dispatch to report the same reckless driver prior to pulling over the officer.
According to a Tampa Police Press Release:
The officer found the suspect’s actions suspicious so she continued to talk to the suspect and also discovered the vehicle was not registered to a government agency. Upon further questioning, the suspect admitted he was not employed by a government agency. He doesn’t have a concealed weapon permit.
Stevens was charged with impersonating a police officer, unlawful use of blue lights and carrying a concealed firearm. He was released Monday morning after posting $17,500 bail, according to jail records.
The incident marks the second time in three months that Stevens has been charged with impersonating a police officer. On September 7, Manatee sheriff’s deputies, sitting in an undercover vehicle, heard wailing sirens followed by flashing red and blue lights. The officers then witnessed Stevens pull over a woman in the parking lot of an Outlet Mall. After a brief exchange the woman drove off and the driver of the Tahoe headed into a coffee shop allowing the officers time to run the plates. After discovering the Tahoe was not registered to a law enforcement agency, they contacted the woman, who said the man who pulled her over said he was an off-duty police officer.
When deputies caught up with Stevens three days later, they say he admitted to pulling over the woman and that he knew it was wrong. He also told them he had been warned by friends in law enforcement that he could get into trouble doing this.
The question is…were they really his friends?