A 22-year-old Plymouth man is facing a charge of impersonating a public servant after police say he posed as one of their own officers in a voicemail message aimed at reconnecting with someone who wanted nothing more to do with him. Blake Bradley was taken into custody by the Plymouth Police Department and booked into the Marshall County Jail following the alleged scheme.
According to giant.fm, the complainant received a voicemail from someone claiming to be a police officer and requesting an immediate callback. When the complainant returned the call, Bradley allegedly answered the phone himself. Investigators determined that Bradley had impersonated a Plymouth Police Department officer specifically to contact a person who had already cut off communication with him, according to department reports cited in that account.
Bradley was arrested and transported to the Marshall County Jail, where he was booked on the impersonation charge. As with any criminal case, the charging information against him represents only an allegation that a crime was committed, and Bradley is presumed innocent throughout the proceedings. He remains entitled to representation by counsel and a jury trial. Jail records reviewed by the outlet list Bradley as homeless in Plymouth.
A Felony-Level Question Hanging Over the Case
Exactly how serious Bradley's legal exposure becomes may hinge on a specific detail of Indiana law. Under Indiana Code § 35-44.1-2-6, falsely representing oneself as a public servant is ordinarily a Class A misdemeanor, but the charge is elevated to a Level 6 felony when the person specifically claims to be a law enforcement officer, according to B. Hicks Law. Since Bradley allegedly claimed specifically to be a police officer rather than some other type of public servant, it remains an open question whether prosecutors will pursue the felony-level version of the charge.
The stakes of that distinction are significant. A Level 6 felony conviction in Indiana carries a prison sentence ranging from six months to two and a half years, along with fines of up to $10,000, per the same firm's breakdown of the statute. By contrast, a Class A misdemeanor conviction under the impersonation law tops out at one year in jail and a $5,000 fine, according to the Marc Lopez Law Firm. It is not yet known which version of the charge prosecutors will formally file, nor whether a protective or no-contact order existed between Bradley and the complainant, nor his current bond status at the jail.
Indiana Courts Have Taken a Hard Line Before
Indiana appellate courts have shown little patience for defendants who lean on the appearance of authority to manipulate others. In the 2019 case Ferree v. State, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed a Level 6 felony conviction for impersonating a public servant after a defendant wore sheriff-branded apparel to mislead staff at a mental health center, according to case documentation from FindLaw. State law also separately restricts who can even make or sell police badges: Indiana Code § 35-44.1-2-8 bars unauthorized manufacturing or sale of police badges without written approval from an agency chief, with violations classified as misdemeanors or felonies depending on whether the badge was intended to facilitate impersonation, according to reporting on a similar Texas case that outlined comparable statutes elsewhere.
That Texas case, covered by Hoodline in June, involved a woman arrested on felony impersonation charges after she repeatedly displayed a fraudulent federal badge and claimed to be an ICE officer during a traffic stop and a later court appearance. It's a reminder that fake-authority schemes and the legal consequences that follow them aren't unique to Marshall County, even as Bradley's case plays out closer to home.
Bradley's Prior Run-In With Plymouth Police
This is not Bradley's first arrest by the Plymouth Police Department. Local outlet giant.fm reported that in September 2025, officers arrested a then-21-year-old Blake Bradley following an altercation at an apartment complex, with preliminary charges at the time including domestic battery, disorderly conduct, obstruction of justice, and intimidation with a deadly weapon.
Inside the County's Busy Jail System
Bradley's latest booking adds to what has been a steady flow of arrests through the Marshall County Jail this year. The facility in Plymouth operates with a 233-bed capacity and recorded an average daily population of 122 inmates in July 2026, per jail data. The Plymouth Police Department accounted for 61 of the 164 total arrest bookings countywide that same month, making it the second most active arresting agency behind the sheriff's department, the outlet's review of jail data found. Operating While Intoxicated, driving with a suspended license, and failure to appear were the three most common offenses leading to jail bookings in Marshall County during July, according to the same report.
