Dothan woman charged with police impersonation

Dothan police charged a 37-year-old woman with using a toy gun and badge to perform a police traffic stop near Solomon Park, in Dothan’s garden district.

Police investigators arrested Lesa Christine Mason, of North Pontiac Avenue, Saturday and charged her with felony impersonating a police officer. According to court records, she was released from jail the next day after she posted a $2,500 bond. If convicted of the class C felony, Mason faces one to 10 years in prison.

According to the warrant for her arrest, filed at the Houston County Courthouse, police charged Mason with pretending to be a police officer and performing a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Erik Ray Davis.

Dothan Police Officer Thomas Davis, the department’s public information officer, said the woman used a toy gun and badge during the incident, which he said happened near Solomon Park. Davis said Mason got the other vehicle to pull over by flashing the front headlights on her vehicle.

Davis said he did not know why Mason stopped Erik Davis’ vehicle. Davis said the victim likely called the Dothan Police Department.

“I think the suspect was not aware of the victim calling the real police,” Davis said.

He said Mason was arrested after police arrived and performed a traffic stop on the vehicle she was driving. Davis said Mason was not wearing any type of uniform when she was taken into custody.

Davis encouraged area residents to call 911 if they see suspicious people who present themselves as law enforcement.

“We do have those out there who try to impersonate us,” Davis said. “You never know the mind of a person or why they do the things that they do, that’s why we try to catch them.”