Cops Hear Weird Siren, Arrest Phony US Marshal
A man accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer was wearing a hat that said “Police US Marshal,” police in Florida say, but it didn’t take a real Marshal more than a few seconds to determine he wasn’t the real deal. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says an officer who had stopped for gas heard an “unfamiliar emergency siren” when there was no emergency in the area. He pursued and pulled over a black pickup truck that had red and blue emergency lights, the Miami Herald reports. The driver, who had gone through a red light, displayed a badge and claimed that he was a US Marshal investigating a shooting, “but there were no reported shootings in the area,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
The driver, 52-year-old Derry Lambert, claimed he worked in Texas “but they got me down at Florida right now.” The officer called the sheriff’s office US Marshals Liaison. Lambert told the liaison over the phone that he was investigating “two gang members, two gangs out there that are riding on a four-wheeler with a pole on it, busting into people’s houses,” Fox 35 reports. When the liaison asked Lambert what district he was a US Marshal in, he said “Dallas.” When the liaison showed up at the scene in person and asked the same question, Lambert responded, “District? What do you mean,” per the Herald.
“If you’re a US Marshal, you would know your district,” the liaison told him. The US Marshals Service has 94 federal districts, with Texas split into eastern, western, northern, and southern districts. Police searched Lambert’s pickup and found a firearm, along with Diazepam he didn’t have a prescription for. He was arrested and and faces charges including impersonating an officer, obstructing police, drug possession, and use of a firearm during a felony, WCJB reports. Police say anybody who encountered Lambert posing as a Marshal should contact authorities.