Outdated Shirt Gave Away 'Fake' Firefighter in Colo.
Source The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.
A man arrested on suspicion of impersonating a firefighter last week was spotted because he was wearing an outdated U.S. Forest Service shirt and driving a vehicle not commonly used by firefighters, court documents say. They told dispatch about the suspicious vehicle.
As Kip Andy Petersen tried to drive into the Waldo Canyon fire evacuation zone on June 26, he reportedly told firefighters "you guys have fun," according to his arrest affidavit.
On June 27, Petersen was spotted by a Colorado Springs police officer who noticed a suspicious vehicle in an area for restricted personnel. Police say Petersen fed the officer three varying stories to identify himself, and kept changing his story about where he was a firefighter.
At first, he said that he was with the United States Forest Service, then he said he was a contract fire firefighter, and finally he said that he was employed at Epic Real Estate Company and was coming to check on a client's property.
He then said he was a friend of a police officer who, when contacted, said they had been neighbors but were not close friends. His arrest affidavit did not indicate that officers had found any stolen items with Petersen.
Petersen was eventually arrested on suspicion of attempt to influence a public servant, a class four felony. He has since bonded out of jail on a $75,000 bond.
Copyright 2012 - The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Colo.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
