FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A man accused of posing as a law enforcement officer was arrested Sunday after he was using flashing lights and sirens to navigate through traffic and was found with drugs in his car, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Jeffrey Jean, 30, faces multiple charges, including impersonation a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, drug possession and improper use of lights.
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According to a BSO arrest affidavit, deputies were assisting with a crash on Sunrise Boulevard when Jean's Chevrolet Malibu passed by them, flashing red and white lights and intermittently sounding an air horn in an attempt to navigate through heavy traffic that had backed up because of the crash.
The car was tailgating other vehicles, cutting in front of other vehicles without yielding to the right-of-way and driving on the opposite side of the street, the report said.
Many drivers, believing the Malibu to be an unmarked emergency vehicle, pulled over to the side so the car could get through traffic, the report said.
Once the driver of the Malibu made eye contact with one of the deputies, he quickly turned off the lights and siren, the report said.
The deputy approached the car and noticed that the driver was wearing what appeared to be "tactical law enforcement attire," including a gun belt with a loaded handgun, a stun gun and pepper spray, the report said. The driver also wore a vest that said "public safety officer" on the back and wore blue pants similar to the type worn by police officers and black boots.
When deputies placed the driver, later identified as Jean, into handcuffs and told him they could smell marijuana coming from the car, he told them that he confiscates drugs from clubs and puts them in the trunk to get rid of them, the report said. Then Jean changed his story, saying that he didn't have any drugs in the car.
However, deputies found a plastic bag containing marijuana in the center console, the report said.