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http://www.jacksonvillepatriot.com/Pages/0...20residents.htm
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Police impersonators scam, rob local motel residents
By Jeff Lemaster and Peg Kenyon
EDITORIAL STAFF
Area residents and those traveling in the area are being advised to be cautious if confronted by someone claiming to be a police officer.
A recent spree of robberies in Jacksonville has involved one man, believed to be Michael Boyd, 38, who has entered motel rooms claiming to be a law enforcement agent. The man has then
onfiscated cash from the rooms? residents and sped away.
Boyd is described as being a black male, five feet, seven inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds. He is bald or ha
s extremely short hair and has brown eyes.
Capt. Charley Jenkins, public
information officer for the Jacksonville Police Department, said that the man was seen getting into a gray 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by another man during the last reported incident, which occurred July 16 at the Days Inn in Jacksonville.
The man came to the door of one of the motel?s rooms and identified himself to its occupants as a Drug Enforcement Agency agent. He told the five people in the room that he was conducting a drug search and that they needed to hand over their driver?s licenses and any cash they had. After following instructions, the people were told to sit on the beds and wait because a drug dog would be entering the room. The man then left the room with the cash and did not return.
He
got away with $1,558 in cash, a wallet valued at $20, three debit cards and one driver?s license.
Another incident occurred July 6 in which a man entered a room at the Comfort Inn i
n Ja
cksonville claiming to be a local police officer. He took $780 from the wallet of a Mar
yland man after telling him he was looking for a suspect he believed to be at that motel.
A similar incident occurred July 14 in which the robber(s) made off with $63. The report also revealed that a suspect had approached another man staying at the Best Western motel. The man, identified as a Texan, told police he refused the suspect entry because he failed to produce a police badge or identification.
Jenkins said that the men running this scam may have started it in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Therefore, other area cities such as Sherwood and Cabot should be alert of the scammers? potential presence.
The man involved in the incidents, believed to be Boyd, has worn plain clothes but has
flashed a badge. Jenkins advised citizens that if a person approaches claiming to be a law enforcement agent, they should immediately ask to see identification. All local law enforcement age
nts carr
y picture i.d., so no one should allow entrance until they can match the officer with his picture
i.d. If one is still uncertain of the validity of the officer?s claims, ask for the name and phone number of the officer?s supervisor and then call them to confirm the officer?s identity.
?No local officer will have a problem with showing someone their identification,? Jenkins said. ?If you see something that is not picture i.d., I would think it?s bogus.?
Jenkins said that police officers will not ?just come up and ask someone to search their room.? They must first receive consent or have probable cause to do so.
?No police officer will take money or property from people in that manner,? he said.
If the suspects are caught, they will face federal as well as local charges, as impersonating
a DEA officer is a federal offense. Anyone with information regarding the police impersonators or the whereabouts of Michael Boyd should contact the Criminal Investigation Division (CI
D) of the Ja
cksonville Police Department at 501-982-3191.
http://www.jacksonvillepatriot.com/Pages/0...20residents.htm
--------------------------
Police impersonators scam, rob local motel residents
By Jeff Lemaster and Peg Kenyon
EDITORIAL STAFF
Area residents and those traveling in the area are being advised to be cautious if confronted by someone claiming to be a police officer.
A recent spree of robberies in Jacksonville has involved one man, believed to be Michael Boyd, 38, who has entered motel rooms claiming to be a law enforcement agent. The man has then
onfiscated cash from the rooms? residents and sped away.
Boyd is described as being a black male, five feet, seven inches tall and weighing about 180 pounds. He is bald or ha
s extremely short hair and has brown eyes.
Capt. Charley Jenkins, public
information officer for the Jacksonville Police Department, said that the man was seen getting into a gray 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by another man during the last reported incident, which occurred July 16 at the Days Inn in Jacksonville.
The man came to the door of one of the motel?s rooms and identified himself to its occupants as a Drug Enforcement Agency agent. He told the five people in the room that he was conducting a drug search and that they needed to hand over their driver?s licenses and any cash they had. After following instructions, the people were told to sit on the beds and wait because a drug dog would be entering the room. The man then left the room with the cash and did not return.
He
got away with $1,558 in cash, a wallet valued at $20, three debit cards and one driver?s license.
Another incident occurred July 6 in which a man entered a room at the Comfort Inn i
n Ja
cksonville claiming to be a local police officer. He took $780 from the wallet of a Mar
yland man after telling him he was looking for a suspect he believed to be at that motel.
A similar incident occurred July 14 in which the robber(s) made off with $63. The report also revealed that a suspect had approached another man staying at the Best Western motel. The man, identified as a Texan, told police he refused the suspect entry because he failed to produce a police badge or identification.
Jenkins said that the men running this scam may have started it in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Therefore, other area cities such as Sherwood and Cabot should be alert of the scammers? potential presence.
The man involved in the incidents, believed to be Boyd, has worn plain clothes but has
flashed a badge. Jenkins advised citizens that if a person approaches claiming to be a law enforcement agent, they should immediately ask to see identification. All local law enforcement age
nts carr
y picture i.d., so no one should allow entrance until they can match the officer with his picture
i.d. If one is still uncertain of the validity of the officer?s claims, ask for the name and phone number of the officer?s supervisor and then call them to confirm the officer?s identity.
?No local officer will have a problem with showing someone their identification,? Jenkins said. ?If you see something that is not picture i.d., I would think it?s bogus.?
Jenkins said that police officers will not ?just come up and ask someone to search their room.? They must first receive consent or have probable cause to do so.
?No police officer will take money or property from people in that manner,? he said.
If the suspects are caught, they will face federal as well as local charges, as impersonating
a DEA officer is a federal offense. Anyone with information regarding the police impersonators or the whereabouts of Michael Boyd should contact the Criminal Investigation Division (CI
D) of the Ja
cksonville Police Department at 501-982-3191.