The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office has released the following
On Wednesday, 10/20/2021, at approximately 6:50 A.M. a high school age female was traveling along Little Mountain Rd. when she was stopped by what she believed was a law enforcement officer. This person’s appearance and demeanor resulted in the female concluding that they were impersonating a law enforcement officer. This person allowed the female to leave following a brief verbal exchange in which she asked to see a badge and what department he was employed by. This female reported the incident to her School Resource Officer. The Catawba County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division has initiated an investigation into this incident.
The person accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer is described as a white male in his 30’s, who is approximately 5 ft. 8 inches tall with a medium build. This person has a long beard which is dark in color and was wearing what appeared to be a law enforcement style uniform with a firearm and other law enforcement type equipment. No badge was present on this persons clothing or displayed during this incident. This person was operating an SUV type vehicle which was black in color. This vehicle did not have any law enforcement style markings on it but was equipped with blue lights in its front windshield.
The public’s assistance is requested in locating this person. Anyone who’s interacted with this person or who has seen a person matching this description is asked to contact the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-464-3112.