Another police impersonation incident reported
The third report of a law enforcement impersonation in the area in the last month left a Cottonwood woman a little scared Tuesday night, but unharmed.
Houston County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating all three reported incidents, including the most recent attempted traffic stop on State Line Road near Cottonwood. No arrests have been made, but Investigator Sgt. Bill Rafferty said Wednesday that deputies are following up on all leads in the cases. He said there are similarities in all three cases.
Julie Forehand, 29, reported Tuesday that an unmarked Ford Crown Victoria with a flashing blue strobe light inside followed her car for more than a mile before she reached the town of Cottonwood.
“It was scary,” Forehand said. “It frightened me. If I didn’t think to call the deputy and had pulled over there’s no telling what could’ve happened. I did think he was just going to attempt to run me off the road.”
Forehand said she saw the car parked on the side of the road around 6:30 p.m., facing in the opposite direction toward U.S. 231 South, and it turned around, turning its lights on to follow her.
“It sped up and got right on my bumper. It turned on an older-style blue strobe light,” Forehand said. “He flickered his bright lights. He just kept kind of swerving left and right.”
Forehand said she decided not to stop for the vehicle for several reasons, including the fact her father, a retired Houston County sheriff’s lieutenant, had warned her about someone impersonating law enforcement in the area.
“It just didn’t look right. I know the unmarked cars don’t have that style of blue lights anymore,” she said.
She said the vehicle followed her until the intersection of State Line Road and Sealy Wells Road when it turned around in the middle of the road, and sped away toward 231 South.
Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes has warned Wiregrass residents against pulling over for suspicious unmarked law enforcement vehicles in rural areas that are not well lighted or near open businesses. Hughes encouraged motorists to call 911 if they’re unsure about the vehicle.
Deputies also recently responded to a reported law enforcement impersonation after a man wearing a blue uniform performed a traffic stop on a teenage girl in Dothan. The man examined the girl’s license, returned it and let her go.
Law enforcement are also investigating another incident in Newton after a man in plain clothes wearing a police baseball cap performed a traffic stop at gunpoint and handcuffed the motorist. The gunman with the police hat searched the motorist’s car, then let the man go.
There have no reported injuries or thefts during the incidents.
“The best I can say is if you have a gut feeling about it is not to stop and call 911,” Forehand said.
Anyone with information can call the Houston County Sheriff’s Office at (334) 677-4888.
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this is for “aisorbma”, i think you need to read this article again, slowly
Long,Long ago in a Land of Freedom & Common Sense using an undercover Police vehicle for ANY type of routine traffic stop was illegal for 2 very good reasons. The first was something called entrapment, which ment that the mild mannered appearance of these vehicles encouraged driver’s to be more lax than normal in the operation of their vehicles thus “entrapping” them in a false sense of security. THE SECOND AND MOST IMPORTANT REASON was the fear that if citizens became used to automatically surrendering themselves to anything with a blue light on it then someone of a criminal nature might do exactly what these people are doing!!!! These types of incidents are happening all over the USA, from Colorado to Florida. The answer is to use these Undercover vehicles For The Uses They Were Intended AND NOTHING ELSE!!! Undercover Narcotics & Vice surveillance or Tactical apprehension in a Sting Operation, That’s All Folks!!!
LIBERTY signing Off. . .
4justice needs to change her name because justice was served in Robert Wills case. Doug Valeska did not convict Robert, a jury of his peers did. Twelve people sat in that court room and weighed all the “facts” and determined that he was guilty. Now, it just needs to go away, but people like 4justice will keep trying to link stories like this one to the Robert Wills case. He’s had his day in court, he was found guilty and now he is is prison where he belongs…get over it.
COMMON SENSE? Where is the common sense of the people who are so quick to believe the lies that have going around about this case? The only thing I am passionate about are the FACTS, not what our DA has poisoned people’s minds with. He will lie, cheat or anything necessary just to win a case. That is a known fact about him, that is why he has such a strong win record. I don’t want to insult you, that is not right, but you really need to learn the true facts. Robert did NOT go 100+ mph. The deputy said he had to do slightly over 100 but that was to catch up w/Robert. Instead of reporting the deputy was driving that fast, it was reported that it was Robert driving that speed. Why was it reported like that? If a person is trying to catch up with a vehicle way ahead of them, they must go faster until they get up to them.
Also, Robert was NOT having sex with Whitney or were they planning to have sex. Some facts may “appear to look like that” but there are true explanations for every one of those facts. Why does no one even want to find out those facts? All they want to believe is the worst and that is not right either. There are always 2 sides. If the sex arguement would have been the case, I would agree with you bc that should never be ok with a young girl, but it IS NOT the case! It seems that as soon as people heard that allegation theory, that is all they hear. Why? I really don’t understand. They don’t want to hear 2 sides of the case, only one very biased side. That is NOT justice! I only want justice. Robert will have to pay for causing Whitney’s death but this was not murder like it was portrayed. This entire case is so far from what actually happened and that just is not fair or justice. Those that say Robert should rot in jail will one day soon also rot (but not be able to die) but in a different place.
This is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than the wills case. I cannot believe
that 4justice is even trying to compare them. He ran because he KNEW he was doing something WRONG. NOW he is paying for it! He should rot in prison. Now back to the subject, if you feel uncomfortable about stopping, then do what the Sheriff says, NOT TAKE OFF HAULING BUTT UP TO 100+ MPH! IF possible, use your COMMON SENSE.
I would like to know why, Matt Elofson, that you report and agree with the authorities about not stopping if you are not sure the person is an actual police officer in these cases but yet you seem so sure that Robert Wills should have just stopped and done whatever the person told him to do that was on the other end of that bright flashlight that was shining in Robert’s eyes. This was a dark area and the deputy didn’t even identify himself. It would not have mattered even if he did (which HE DID NOT) because that would not have proved that he was actually a deputy. Everyone that even heard about this case is ready to hang Robert for leaving the scene, saying it proved he was guilty of something. That was absolutely not true! Just because he is a man doesn’t mean he can’t be scared of an unknown person and take the common sense route of leaving the scene. That was the entire focus of the prosecution’s case, him leaving. Can you explain your reporting?
Thank the good Lord that you listened to your gut feeling. If this person is not caught by law enforcement, he may find himself on the wrong end of redneck law enforcement!!
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