SUFFOLK, Va. - A man arrested for impersonating a police officer was arraigned in a Suffolk courtroom.
30-year-old Eugene Johnson III was arrested on a felony charge of Impersonating Law Enforcement Officer after Suffolk Police learned of a social media post and conducted an investigation.
His case was continued in court Friday morning.
In a Facebook post, a citizen wrote they were stopped the morning of November 23 by a subject driving what appeared to be an unmarked police vehicle with blue lights.
Later on officers found the vehicle the victim described. It was parked at a business in the 600 block of Carolina Road. Police made contact with the vehicle owner and eventually arrested Johnson for pretending to be a police officer.
Johnson has a history of this type of offense. He pleaded guilty to impersonating a police officer, among other charges, in 2012. That investigation started in July 2011, when police arrested Johnson after searching his black Impala and founding a jacket with the word "Police" on it as well as a bulletproof vest and a portable radio.
The City of Suffolk Public Information Officer Diana Klink offered this advice to the public; "If you feel threatened or are being followed or if you think a crime has been committed, contact 911. Don’t just put it on social media."