OPP releases sketch of man wanted for impersonating police officer
WELLINGTON COUNTY - Police have now released a sketch of a suspect wanted for impersonating a police officer and stopping vehicles.
The sketch, provided to the media on May 9, is of a man police say is wanted in connection with one incident on April 14.
The suspect was pulling over vehicles and asking drivers for proof of their COVID-19 "essential worker" status.
A driver stopped on Wellington Road 18 in Centre Wellington provided the man posing as a police officer with the information requested and the impersonator returned to his vehicle and left the scene.
Police describe the impersonator as a white man, 30 to 40 years old, with short dark hair in a brush cut and some unshaven facial hair.
He was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and what police describe as “a ballistic vest with the word ‘POLICE’ in yellowish-orange letters across the front, but not the back.”
The suspect vehicle is described as a black four-door sedan, possibly a Ford Fusion or Ford Taurus, with a blue strobe light on the dash and a small aerial antenna on the trunk.
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Police say anyone stopped or approached by an officer in plain clothes and driving an unmarked vehicle can ask for the officer’s identification or request a uniformed officer be present.
“The OPP is not conducting random traffic stops to check motorists’ work status during the COVID-19 pandemic, nor are drivers required to prove they are an essential worker to police,” stated acting Wellington County OPP Inspector Paul Richardson in a previous press release.
On April 23 police announced they had charged a Puslinch man with impersonating a police officer, but officials stressed that incident (on April 17) is not related to the April 14 incident.
Anyone with information can contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at csgw.tips. Tip providers may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.
