By WMBD TV
BELLEVUE, Ill. (WMBD) — A West Bluff man is in the Peoria County Jail after being arrested for allegedly pretending to be a sheriff’s deputy.
Dennis Walker, also known as Josh Coats, 44, faces a slew of charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a defaced firearm, having no valid FOID card and impersonating an officer, said Sheriff Chris Watkins.
He remained there Tuesday afternoon and he could appear before a judge as soon as Wednesday.
Last week, on May 27, deputies learned that a person had been stopped in the 5800 block of Plank Road, which is in Bellevue and not far from the county jail, by a man claiming to be a deputy, Watkins said.
The victim said the man, allegedly Walker, was driving a black Ford Explorer with red and blue flashing lights on the front of the vehicle. It did not have front or rear license plates.
Walker was allegedly wearing an all-black uniform with no sheriff’s office patches, nameplates, or identifying insignia.
“According to the victim, the suspect told him that his driver’s license was suspended and then cut the license in half,” Watkins said. “The victim knew his license was valid and informed the suspect that he intended to contact the Sheriff’s Office to file a complaint.
“The suspect then returned to the black unmarked Ford Explorer and fled the area at a high rate of speed,” the sheriff said.
As they investigated, detectives identified Walker as a suspect. They did a photo lineup with the victim who picked out Walker as the person who pulled him over.
On Tuesday, deputies learned he was living at a home on Trewyn Avenue in South Peoria. They also learned he had an active warrant for aggravated domestic battery and had gone to prison in Texas for impersonating a police officer, Watkins said.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force and the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Division raided the house and arrested Walker without incident.
Inside the house, they allegedly found an AR-15 rifle with a defaced serial number, several metal badges, a vest resembling law enforcement body armor, pants with law enforcement-style equipment attachments, handcuffs, leg shackles, a realistic pellet handgun, and a pepper spray launcher, Watkins said.
WMBD TV first reported this story. You can read the original story online at CIProud.com.
