Law enforcement in Florida have revealed that they suspect a convicted felon arrested a woman and took her into custody while impersonating a police officer.
According to reports, Christopher Levins recorded video evidence of the incident himself, as reviewed by personnel from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The video showed Levins’ garb “in a manner consistent with a law enforcement officer,” including body armor and handcuffs.
Police have not disclosed precisely when the man allegedly posed as an officer and managed to “arrest” a woman. However, authorities further detailed that he approached the woman involved and told her that there was a warrant for her arrest. Levins then reportedly put her in handcuffs and led her into his vehicle.
When they arrived at the Lake County Jail, the man is said to have escorted the woman inside. The video footage sparked an interview with the woman in the video, leading police officers to go to New York to see her. According to her, she believed that Levins was a law enforcement officer from Leesburg, Florida.
Police reported that the woman shared she would never have cooperated with Levins if she was not under the impression that he was, in fact, a police officer. On April 4, the suspect was arrested himself and charged with kidnapping. After a five-day jail stint, he was released on a bond of $50,000.
Levins reportedly has a criminal history, including possessing a concealed weapon, counterfeit identification and ammunition—as a convicted felon. He has even been arrested before for impersonating police officers.
In 2016, Levins was charged by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office after he showed up to a juvenile detention center—where he had previously served time—and pretended to be a Homeland Security officer. According to reports at the time, some staff members recognized the then 18-year-old suspect.
Local law enforcement deputies were called and they confirmed that Levins already had three felony convictions as well as an arrest the month before for impersonating a Florida law enforcement official.
In 2017, Levins posed as a police officer at the University of South Florida in an effort to attract attention from female students.
The recent report comes shortly after a man from Houston, Texas was arrested for a similar impersonation stunt. He was arrested by police after he attempted to pull over actual law enforcement officers.
Houston man arrested for impersonating police officer after attempting to pull over real deputies https://t.co/g284lgiF65
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 16, 2024
