Portland, OR - Suspect Posing as Police Officer Pulls Motorist Over - Has Prior Stealing Police Car

April 28, 2007

PORTLAND, Ore. - Police said he was pulling people over and posing as a police officer.

He had the clothes, the car and the attitude to fool almost anyone, police said. But there were a few problems, including his weird shoes and his unfamiliar face.

Though he was arrested on Saturday night, police aren't releasing the man's name.

Instead they released a description of him and the vehicle he was driving in the hopes that anyone who saw him will come forward.

"We just want to know if anyone had contact with this guy," said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, a Portland police spokesman.

His car was a 2000 Ford Crown Victoria that was souped up to look like a patrol car. It had strobe lights, a laptop installed in the center console and stolen government-issued plates.

A real police officer pulled it over near North Cook Street and North Vancouver Avenue about 11 p.m. Saturday.

The driver, who was dressed in blue and had a fake badge, was clean, polite and well-spoken.

The driver was wearing a pair of black uniform style pants and a blue shirt that is the same color as a Portland police uniform shirt. He had fashioned a clear tube from his shirt to his ear so that it appeared he was wearing a radio ear piece. He was also in possession of a modified police badge and fictitious police identification.

He was described as looking between the ages of 23 and 27, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and 170 pounds with bluish hazel eyes. His hair was brown with blonde tips.


Though they declined to identify him, a man was in court Monday facing charges for impersonating a police officer.

During his arraignment, the man, Wayne Michael Trent, decided to make a run for it. His attempted escape was caught on tape and has been broadcast across the country.

He was quickly tasered and taken back into custody. Investigators did some digging and found that Trent was arrested in 2001 on similar charges.

He used the name Skeen then. Police said he broke into the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office and stole everything an officer needs to go on duty. Then he got into a cruiser and went on patrol for a day before he was caught returning the car.

Portland police are not officially making the connection between the two cases.

But they do have advice about what to do if they think they are not dealing with a real police officer.

If you get pulled over, always check to see if the vehicle is marked. If it is not, and you think something is not right, call 911.

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