A man dressed head-to-toe in black and wearing a ski mask that fully concealed his face has been impersonating a law enforcement officer, pulling over at least two drivers in a black Dodge Durango rigged with a fake red and blue dashboard light bar and stealing their belongings. The first reported stop happened around 7:45 a.m. Thursday on Walter Hoffman Road near Red Rock and Rockne, and a second nearly identical incident was reported later the same day.
According to the KVUE, a caller reported being pulled over by the man in the black Durango, who then removed the driver from the vehicle, searched it, and took personal belongings before leaving. Hours later, Precinct 3 reported a similar incident involving what deputies believe was an identical black Dodge Durango, with the suspect again taking items from a victim's vehicle. The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office has not said whether the same man is believed responsible for both stops, though the matching vehicle description links the two reports.
The suspect was described as a male wearing all-black clothing, including tactical-style pants, black leather gloves, and a ski mask that fully covered his face. His clothing had no visible emblems or identifying markings, and he was not observed carrying a firearm, per the same outlet's report.
A Vehicle Built to Look Official, But Missing Key Details
The Durango used in both stops reportedly had a brush guard, dark-tinted windows, and a red and blue light bar mounted on the dashboard, but no front or rear license plates and no visible registration sticker, the station's report notes. The report also noted the missing plates and registration sticker.
Operating a civilian vehicle equipped with red or blue emergency lighting is illegal under Texas Transportation Code § 547.305, which prohibits operating a vehicle with specified red, white, or blue beacon, flashing, or alternating lights unless authorized by law, with listed exceptions, according to FindLaw. Separately, displaying false badges or markings meant to pass someone off as a peace officer is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine under Texas Penal Code § 37.12, per L&L Law Group. If the man is caught and prosecuted for impersonating a public servant with intent to make a driver submit to his pretend authority, he could face a far steeper charge: a third-degree felony carrying two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine under Penal Code § 37.11, FindLaw notes.
The Legal Bind Facing Drivers on Rural Roads
The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office has stressed that it is not telling residents to break the law or ignore legitimate law enforcement signals, per the same report. Texas law requires drivers to pull over to the right and stop when a vehicle displaying red and blue lights approaches from behind, a mandate rooted in Transportation Code § 545.156 that leaves little legal room for a driver who suspects, but cannot confirm, that a stop is fraudulent.
The Bastrop County Sheriff's Office encouraged motorists who encounter similar circumstances to contact 911 to verify the stop's legitimacy. It also encouraged anyone who spots the described man or vehicle to contact 911 immediately.
Deputies Lean on License Plate Readers Amid a Shrinking Network
Investigators have entered the vehicle description into the Sheriff's Office Flock camera network in hopes of locating the Durango, per KVUE. But that effort comes as the surrounding camera infrastructure has been shrinking: the Bastrop City Council voted unanimously in September to terminate its Flock Safety contract and decommission all 12 of its municipal license plate reader cameras over privacy concerns, according to KVUE. The following month, Texas officials barred local governments and police departments from using state grant money to buy or maintain automated license plate reader systems, including Flock technology, as reported by FOX 7 Austin.
Bastrop County's Sheriff's Patrol Division covers 896 square miles split into four sectors, according to Bastrop County.
Texas Law on Impersonating a Public Servant
Under Texas Penal Code § 37.11, impersonating a public servant with intent to make another person submit to pretended official authority is a third-degree felony.
