A man allegedly posing as a police officer has been arrested.
At 10:20 p.m. on March 19, the Prince George RCMP were informed by a member of the public that they had been approached by a man who was pretending to be a police officer. The caller stated he first saw the vehicle at a gas station on Fifth Avenue and Tabor Boulevard. The vehicle followed the driver onto Fifth Avenue, where he then activated what appeared to be blue and red flashing police lights and passed the caller’s vehicle.
The caller continued onto North Nechako Boulevard and saw the Tahoe pulled over on the side of the road. The Tahoe followed the caller’s vehicle until the end of North Nechako Road.
The caller told police he was at a bonfire when a man, who identified himself as ‘Officer Maguire,’ came to speak with them. The witness asked the male for his badge number and the man gave a number but became belligerent with the group and began swearing. The witnesses state the suspect then left the area, activating what appeared to be police lights that flashed red and blue as he was driving away.
Officers conducted patrols in the area and found the man stopped in the parking lot of a trailer park on North Nechako Road. Police approached the vehicle and began speaking with the male driver, whom they identified as 29-year-old Patrick Maguire. Police arrested Maguire for impersonating a police officer and brought him to the Prince George RCMP Detachment where he remained until he could attend a bail hearing.
Maguire received a notice and order that compels him to remove the illegal modifications from his vehicle and have the vehicle inspected by a licensed inspection agency before driving again. The B.C. Prosecution Service approved two counts of personating a police officer and one count of failing to comply with a probation order.
Maguire is back in the community until his next court appearance. If you have any information about this or any other criminal offence, please contact the Prince George RCMP at (250)561-3300 or anonymously contact Crime Stoppers at 1(800)222-8477 or online at www.pgcrimestoppers.bc.ca (English only). You do not have to reveal your identity to Crime Stoppers. If you provide information that leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property, you could be eligible for a cash reward.