A Florida animal control officer was arrested Friday after deputies said he impersonated a law enforcement officer in order to gain free entry into a high school football game.
Austin Thompson, 21, drove to a Tenoroc High School game in Lakeland on Friday night and showed the parking attendant a "silver-colored civilian agency badge," claiming he was an undercover deputy, WFTS reports. Thompson, who works as a Polk County Sheriff's Office animal control officer, was able to park without paying the $5 fee.
At the stadium ticket booth, Thompson again said he was an undercover deputy and showed the badge, but he was denied entry without paying $6 for a ticket, deputies said. Thompson asked if they accepted debit cards and left when he was told tickets were available for cash only.
The incident was reported to a deputy, who confronted Thompson in the parking lot. The 21-year-old said he had told the parking attendant that he was an “off-duty officer.” A loaded 9 mm handgun was found in his vehicle after a search, deputies added.
Thompson was arrested and charged with one count of impersonating a law enforcement officer, one count of possession of a firearm on school property and one count of petit theft. After the arrest, he resigned from his position with the Animal Control Office, which he had held since February.
Read more at WFTS.
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