Police: Man pretends to be officer in traffic stop in front of Middletown HS

A man stopped for speeding in front of Middletown High School was later charged with impersonating a police officer.

Charles Keith, 27, of Middletown, was clocked driving 50 mph in a 20 mph zone Tuesday morning in front of the school, according to a police report. When Keith pulled over, he handed the officer his driver’s license and police ID from the village of Sardinia, located in Brown and Highland counties in Ohio.

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He told Middletown police he was an officer in Sardinia, though his ID said he was a cadet.

When police called Sardinia police they were told Keith’s name wasn’t on the officer roster. Later, the Sardinia police chief told Middletown police that Keith hadn’t been with the department for three years, he never was a sworn-in officer and he rode around with the chief and completed paperwork.

When asked again if he was a police officer in Sardinia, Keith answered, “yes,” the report read.

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Keith’s wife, a passenger in the car, told police her husband never had been to a police academy. Keith’s ID was confiscated and police said it would either be destroyed or mailed back to Sardinia.

Keith was charged with impersonating a police officer, a first-degree misdemeanor, and speeding. His pretrial hearing is March 6, according to court records.

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