ALEXANDER COUNTY, N.C. — A 38-year-old man is accused of impersonating an Alexander County sheriff’s deputy and approaching two people in a car to tell them he was on a stakeout in the area of the Wittenburg Wildlife Access off Shiloh Church Road in Bethlehem.
Timothy Bryan Stafford, 38, of Bethlehem showed them a badge to say he was watching the area with others from the woods, authorities said.
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The person who reported the crime didn’t fall for the ruse and asked to see some sort of law enforcement identification.
The two got into a verbal dispute before Stafford left.
The person contacted communications, and dispatchers confirmed there was no stakeout in that area.
The suspect left by the time officers got there.
Stafford was arrested and charged with two counts of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
He was also charged with two counts of second-degree kidnapping, because police said the two people in the vehicle did not feel they were free to leave.
Stafford is being held in the Alexander County Detention Center under a $25,000 bond. His first court appearance is Monday.
The investigation is ongoing.
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