WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Weld County Sheriff’s Office continues searching for a suspect wanted for reportedly impersonating a police officer in recent weeks.
Officials say incidents have been reported on Interstate 25 near the town of Erie on both the Weld and Boulder sides of the county line in the past month.
‘The lights went on, so I thought I was being pulled over’
Wednesday, FOX31 spoke with one of the women who was pulled over.
“The lights went on, so I thought I was being pulled over,” she said. “A male approached my car and asked if I knew why I was being pulled over, and I responded that I didn’t.”
The woman, who asked us to hide her identity, said the man was driving a dark-colored four-door sedan with lights on top.
“He asked for my license and registration, and I noticed he wasn’t wearing a proper uniform. He had a baton on him, on a utility belt, but that was about it,” she said. “I asked if I could see his badge number or something, and he said no, he did not have it, but it was in his car. If I could follow him to his car, he would gladly show me, to which I responded, ‘No way.’”
The woman says she told the man she was calling 911, at which point he returned to his car and drove away.
What to do if you’re pulled over
Police say she did the right thing by remaining in her car and calling to confirm it was a real officer pulling her over.
“It makes me feel sick to my stomach, because I can’t imagine he has good intentions,” she said. “I don’t know what his intentions were to get me to go back to his car, but I can’t imagine that they were good, or pure, so it just makes me feel sick to my stomach that there’s this weird guy out there.”
The man is described as a white male, about 6 feet tall, with short brown hair.
Police say it’s always OK to put on your emergency lights and drive to a well-lit, populated area where you feel comfortable. You can also call 911 to confirm if the person pulling you over is a legitimate law enforcement member.
Weld County Sheriff detectives are asking anyone else who might have interacted with this man to give them a call.