Criminal charges have been filed against a Warrenton man in connection with an incident earlier this year when he allegedly impersonated a police officer.
Nicholas R. Harton was charged Sept. 7 with first-degree burglary, a felony, and false impersonation of a law enforcement officer, a misdemeanor.
Police were dispatched to the eastbound Interstate 70 rest area in Wright City around 10:40 p.m. March 13 in response to a report of a suspicious person identifying himself as a police officer.
Harton allegedly approached the victim in the case, a trucker who was asleep in his truck, and woke him up to ask him about transporting a federally mandated load. The victim asked Harton if he was a police officer, and Harton said he was, according to a probable cause statement.
Harton allegedly stepped onto the truck and attempted to open the door. The driver asked him to show him his badge, according to the statement, but Harton said he couldn’t.
Police located Harton a short time later walking westbound on Veterans Memorial Parkway. Asked about the incident at the rest area, he allegedly said he had knocked on the truck door to ask the trucker for something to eat.
When Harton was questioned about the trucker asking him to show his badge, Harton allegedly replied, “I said I don't have a badge because I'm not a cop.”
Shortly afterward, however, Harton is alleged to have spontaneously stated, “If I pretend to be a cop, are you guys gonna let me be a cop?”
Harton, born in 1993, is being held at the Warren County Jail with his bond set at $5,000.
