NORFOLK, Va. — A man has pleaded guilty to pretending to be law enforcement and kidnapping a woman from her Norfolk home back in 2022.
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team dug into the suspect's background and found he had served time for a similar crime in the past.
Watch previous coverage: We spoke to the wife of the man accused of pretending to be law enforcement, kidnapping Norfolk woman
According to court documents, Troy Leitner pleaded guilty to kidnapping a woman from her Norfolk home.
Leitner admits to putting the victim in handcuffs and keeping her against her will for two days, stopping at hotels along the way before dropping her off at a South Carolina hospital.
Leitner reportedly told the victim and her neighbors that he was a "Fugitive Recovery Agent" when he showed up at her home on March 22, 2022.
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He was wearing tactical shorts, a badge and had a pistol holstered on his hip, leading the victim and neighbors to believe he was a law enforcement officer, according to court records.
Crime analyst Richard James said impersonating law enforcement is a significant problem. He advised that if someone shows up claiming to have an arrest warrant, people should call 911 to verify their credentials.
Records show Leitner has been arrested for similar crimes in the past. In April 2022, he was sentenced to two years in jail for impersonating a police officer and false imprisonment, according to Pennsylvania court documents.
Leitner is currently being held in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
