By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
DeKalb County Sheriff Kasey Keesaman is taking seriously reports from county residents of a man impersonating a sheriff’s deputy who pulled him over.
Keesaman says his office received two reports of a suspicious stop near Fairport. The first stop occurred on the morning of the 16th on State Route A. A person behind the wheel of a gray/silver newer model GMC Denali SUV had emergency vehicle lights on the inside dash. The second stop came the next day at around the same time on the same road. Both times, the “officer” stop motorists he pulled them over for driving too slow with both responding that they had driven slowly due to icy road conditions.
Both times, the man asked the drivers if they had anything in their vehicles that could harm him. Both drivers replied that they did not. After a few more questions, the man then walked back to his vehicle and drove off.
Neither driver suffered any harm or loss of property.
Still, Keesaman says he takes such reports seriously.
“We have a hard enough time in law enforcement, we don’t need somebody that’s going to be putting more distress out there in the community,” Keesaman tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Both drivers report the man to be a white male, about six-foot tall, in his mid-30s, wearing a gray/tan uniform that had county deputy/sheriff on the front. The uniform had no name tag. He drove a car with no markings with civilian license plates. He did not identify an agency he worked for.
Keesaman says his office is investigating the incidents and trying to determine if anything similar happened in neighboring counties.
“Something I kind of take personally,” Keesaman says. “There’s a lot of evil out there and a lot of criminals that want to try to take advantage of people and they’ll find a way to do and they’ll try it. So, we’re taking it very serious and trying to gather up leads and we’re working with other agencies.”
Keesaman says the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t use unmarked vehicles in traffic stops.
The office didn’t conduct any stops either of those days and have inquired with the Missouri Highway Patrol and neighboring agencies and none report traffic stops on those days.
Keesaman advises motorists to always pull over when approached by an apparent official vehicle. If suspicious, call 911 to verify the person pulling you over is indeed an official, law enforcement officer.
Also, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information to contact the office at 816-449-5802.