Pa man charged with passing himself off as federal agent www.privateofficer.com
CALN PA May 3 2012— A Caln man who allegedly passed himself off as a federal agent is in federal custody.
Twenty-one-year-old Eric Marques Devlin-Bell was taken into custody Tuesday morning following a brief investigation led by Special Agent Ed Ryan of the U.S. Federal Protective Service, a division of Homeland Security.
Numerous Homeland Security agents and inspectors, working with the Caln, Tredyffrin and Coatesville police departments and detectives from the Chester County District Attorney’s Office, were involved in Devlin-Bell’s arrest, which took place on Olive Street in Caln.
According to an affidavit provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, Devlin-Bell, who gave his address as “Downingtown,” was taken into custody early on Tuesday morning following an investigation that started on April 13.
The report states that on April 9, police dispatchers received a call from Devlin-Bell, who identified himself as an off-duty “enforcement officer” who does government work. Devlin-Bell allegedly detained the driver of a black Jaguar for allegedly traveling at 120 miles per hour on Route 30.When the driver pulled over to extinguish a small fire in his engine compartment, Devlin-Bell allegedly approached him before he could leave and flashed a badge inscribed with “Federal Agent.”
Devlin-Bell also allegedly informed the driver that he thought he was going to have to chase him and that he “would have had to turn my lights on,” falsely indicating that the dark blue Crown Victoria he was driving was a police vehicle.
On April 12, Caln Police Sgt. Chris Sambuco detained Devlin-Bell in his 2003 Crown Victoria for a traffic violation and discovered a 9 mm semiautomatic pistol under clothing on the front seat.Instead of citing Devlin-Bell, Sambuco asked him to contact Todd Bereda of the Tredyffrin Police, the officer who originally questioned the driver whom Devlin-Bell detained.
Devlin-Bell subsequently confirmed that he had asked the driver to wait and that he showed him an ID card from his “security company,” but denied showing him a badge.
During the interview, Bereda discovered Devlin-Bell had no certifications or commissions with any federal, state or local law enforcement agencies. He also discovered that Devlin-Bell’s car was registered with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation under the name “United States Enforcement Officers,” and that Devlin-Bell wished to become a “private policeman.”
Source:The Mecury News
