GREENWOOD, Ind. -- A Franklin, Indiana, private investigator faces felony charges for allegedly impersonating a member of the U.S. Marshal's Service on at least two occasions.
The Greenwood Police Department received a call on Feb. 4 from a woman who said a man she believed to be impersonating law enforcement had pulled her over and threatened to arrest her.
She said the man had been tailgating her and driving erratically, and then flashed a badge at her.
The woman told police the incident upset her and her young son so much she wanted to report it.
Know Your Rights: By Indiana law, an officer pulling a driver over must either have a fully marked car with lights on top or in the dash, or they must be wearing a distinctive uniform and badge.
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Based on the woman's description of the man and the badge he displayed, police believed the suspect to be Darrell Heady, 63, a private investigator and owner of the Marshall Agency Inc. in Franklin.
Police had received a report of a previous incident involving Heady in November in which he had allegedly pulled pepperspray on an off-duty Johnson County sheriff's deputy and then flashed a badge, saying he was with the U.S. Marshal's Service.
When police went to Heady's house to question him about the February incident, he reportedly told them the woman was lying, and then referred them to his lawyer.
Last week, Johnson County prosecutors filed charges of criminal confinement and impersonating a law enforcement officer, both level 6 felonies, against Heady.
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