LCSO: No one posed as deputies

Published 12:02 pm Monday, June 17, 2019

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A social media post claiming two men posing as law enforcement officers were stopping people turned out to be false, according to a press release from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators were able to identify the two men as on-duty Athens Police Department detectives who were searching for someone at a residence when the “victim” pulled up to the residence, the release said.

The man, who claimed he was pursued by two suspicious men in a Pontiac posing as police officers, did not file a report with the Sheriff’s Office, as initially stated by LCSO. The incident was initially reported on social media, which got the attention of the Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators eventually determined the two men were APD detectives driving an unmarked SUV, not a Pontiac, and that the man referenced in the Facebook post had pulled up to a residence where they were searching for someone.

“All indications are that there were no people posing as law enforcement officers and contacting citizens in Limestone County,” Sheriff Mike Blakely said in the release. “Anyone who is contacted by a person they think is posing as a law enforcement officer should immediately file a police report instead of only posting about the incident on social media. This can often avoid misunderstandings that alarm residents unnecessarily.”

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