Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was allegedly impersonating a police officer and stopping teenagers to question them was arrested by real officers over the weekend.
About 11:20 p.m. Friday, a man wearing a black shirt with the word "police" written on it, who also had a badge hanging from his neck, approached a group of teenagers inside a parked vehicle at 1216 S. Wasatch Dr. and started questioning them, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Heiden.
The man asked the group questions like how old they were, what they were doing and where they were going. But the teens, who initially thought a joke was being played on them, became suspicious of the man because of the way he was acting, Heiden said. They eventually asked the man for his badge number.
At that point, the man told the teens he was calling for backup and walked back to his car. But instead of calling for backup, he simply drove off.
The teenagers called police and an officer responded to the park they were in. As the group was talking to the officer, the man who had approached them drove by, Heiden said. The real Salt Lake officer pulled the man over. But after he stepped out of his car, the man ran off.
The man ran several blocks and police K9s from several departments were called to assist in the search, she said.
While looking for the man, police learned that he had pulled over another vehicle while driving a car that had flashing red and blue lights, according to Heiden. That group told police that the man also questioned them about what they were doing, and "threatened the occupants with police action," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report, then drove off after returning to his car.
After going "through several yards and over many fences," a police K9 tracked William Calhoun, 25, to a backyard where he had stripped down to his underwear and tried to hide in a hot tub filled with cold water, Heiden said. He was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of impersonating an officer.
Heiden said anytime someone is concerned whether a person is really an officer, they can always request that officer's badge number and ask to see picture ID that all officers are required to carry.
According to court records, Calhoun's lengthy criminal history includes convictions for theft, burglary and drug distribution.
