A man indicted on felony charges of impersonating a police officer and false imprisonment was working as a security guard at Augusta Mall while his criminal case remained open, according to court records. Mason Marsh had been arrested in 2025 and was out on a $20,000 bond when he was identified as security personnel during a shoplifting intervention at the mall on July 17, 2026.
According to WRDW, Marsh was employed by Andy Frain Services, the contractor that staffs security at the mall. A grand jury indicted Marsh in January 2026 on charges of impersonating an officer and false imprisonment stemming from a 2025 incident in which he allegedly pulled over a 40-year-old woman in Augusta. Marsh has pleaded not guilty, and the case against him remains open.
Police reports describe Marsh using red and blue lights during the stop and claiming to be a police officer. He allegedly told the woman he was a fireman and did not need to show his badge, and warned her that he had her address and would come to her house. The Richmond County Sheriff's Office, responding to Marsh's initial arrest, publicly urged drivers who doubt a stopping vehicle's legitimacy to call 911 so dispatchers can confirm whether an actual officer is making the stop.
A Second Encounter Months Later
The case did not end with Marsh's initial arrest. On May 6, 2026, while wearing a security vest, duty belt and baton, Marsh allegedly told another person he met at SRP Park that he was a cop and took that person to Regency Mall, according to the report cited by WRDW. The report also says Marsh took that person to Regency Mall.
A former officer approached Marsh about the 2025 charges on July 18, 2026, and Marsh reportedly told deputies the incident had been resolved. It was not. The court case remains active, and Marsh last appeared in court in April 2026, when attorneys discussed a potential resolution or proceeding to trial, the report notes.
How He Got Hired While Under Indictment
Georgia law requires private security firms to forward employee fingerprints to the Georgia Crime Information Center and the FBI for criminal background checks, according to Justia Law. The statute requires fingerprint processing and recordkeeping but does not establish how the resulting reports function in the licensing process. Andy Frain Services, an Illinois-based contractor that provides commercial security and event staffing nationwide, explicitly requires job applicants to submit to a criminal background investigation and drug screening as a condition of employment, per Breakroom. How Marsh cleared that screening while under active felony indictment remains unclear.
Part of the answer may lie in a regulatory gap. Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies rules mandate fingerprint background checks for guards, but unarmed security personnel are not required to hold individual licenses or registrations with the state board, according to Defencify Training. Georgia rules also require employees to complete training before providing private security or private detective services, according to Chapter 509-3 of the state regulations. Individual state registration is only required for armed officers, leaving unarmed guards like Marsh without an individual credentialing checkpoint. Andy Frain Services has since confirmed it no longer employs Marsh and said in a statement that it prioritizes the safety of its workplace, clients and community.
What Marsh Could Face If Convicted
The sources cited here do not establish the penalty for impersonating a public officer or peace officer in Georgia. False imprisonment under Georgia statute is punishable by one to ten years in prison, per Chehimi Law, and unlike kidnapping, the charge does not require that a victim be physically moved. The sources cited here do not establish a combined maximum prison term if Marsh is convicted on both counts.
Richmond County Sheriff's Office Lieutenant James Kelly said following Marsh's initial arrest that police impersonation cases are rare locally but pose a serious risk, warning that they can damage public trust in legitimate law enforcement. Andy Frain Services is the contractor that staffs security at Augusta Mall. Marsh's case remains open, and this account does not address bond revocation.
