Man pretended to be a cop for rent discount, say police

A Lawrenceville man was jailed this week for allegedly furnishing outdated police and military credentials to avoid a traffic ticket and score a discount on rent.

Reginald Lamar Finley, 40, is wanted on charges impersonating a police officer and theft by deception.

Gwinnett police say Finley spun a tale about being a Chattanooga Police officer who just returned from military duty in Iraq when he was pulled over Wednesday for having an expired tag.

The officer who stopped Finley’s 1999 Ford Expedition on Live Oak Parkway around 1 a.m. also discovered Finley’s vehicle had no insurance and its registration was suspended. Finley claimed he had been stationed overseas, unable to renew his tag or registration, according to Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Illana Spellman.

Finley allegedly presented a Chattanooga Police Department identification card and badge. However, the officer checked and learned that Finley no longer worked for the department.

“It’s my understanding he left there back in the 1990s,” Spellman said.

Finley also claimed to work for a task force in Georgia, but police were able to confirm that Finley was not a law enforcement officer, Spellman said. As for his military credentials, Spellman said it appeared Finley was enlisted at one time. However, the military ID he presented was expired. It was unclear if he was ever overseas.

Police seized a handgun, nylon belt and holster, handcuffs and T-shirt with “police” written on it from Finley’s vehicle, as well as his Chattanooga police badge and ID.

After Finley bonded out of jail Wednesday, police discovered he lied about being a police officer to get a discount on his rent, Spellman said.

Finley has since been slapped with additional charges of impersonating a police officer and theft by deception.

“If you don’t have [current police] certification you are no longer a police officer, you’re a civilian, and if you present yourself as one you’re breaking the law,” Spellman said.

Police said Finley was still at large on Friday morning.