Police probe man pretending to be officer

Van Wert independent

The Van Wert Police Department is investigating a report of someone impersonating a police officer within the city.

At approximately 7:20 p.m. Sunday, May 27, a woman reported to city police that she had been contacted by a person representing himself as an officer of the Van Wert Police Department while she was just outside Sav-A-Lot supermarket on South Shannon Street.

The woman thought the man seemed suspicious and contacted the police department, which began an investigation of the incident. The woman was shown photos of members of the police department and none of them were identified as the person who contacted her.

The complainant reported that the man was between his late 20s and early 30s, was approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with dark hair, blue eyes, and a beard. He was wearing a  police-like uniform, with patches on the shoulder that said “Van Wert Police”, but were not like the official patch on VWPD uniforms.

The man was last seen driving a dark blue Ford Focus.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Van Wert Police Department at 419.238.2462 or Crime Stoppers at 419.238.STOP.