Police say fake cop carried loaded gun
Authorities arrested a man who they say impersonated a police officer, complete with a loaded handgun, at the Mayor's Master Reception on Monday.
Evan Blake Campbell, 18, of Ridge Spring, S.C., was dressed "paramilitary style," with black fatigue pants, combat boots and a black shirt with the word "Police" on the front and back, Richmond County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Roundtree said in a news release. He was also carrying handcuffs, pepper spray and a 9 mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition.
Mr. Campbell is accused of telling people at the reception that he was an officer with the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the North Augusta Department of Public Safety, the release stated.
His vehicle, which authorities say contained packages of police equipment and LED emergency lights, was on 11th Street.
The pistol Mr. Campbell carried Monday night was reported stolen from the Edgefield County home of someone he knows, Sgt. Roundtree said.
Mr. Campbell is charged with one count of impersonating a police officer and theft by receiving, according to a jail official. He was being held at the Richmond County jail Tuesday night, with bond set at $11,200.
Bandits attack, rob pizza delivery man
A pizza delivery man told police he was robbed at gunpoint Monday night in south Augusta.
The victim said he was walking to the door of 2373 Berlin Drive when two men, one wearing a ski mask, came from behind the house and demanded cash and the pizzas, according to a Richmond County Sheriff's Office report.
After the victim handed them his wallet, one of the men punched him in the face and the assailants ran from the scene, according to the report.
Man is charged with manufacturing meth
A Beech Island man was in the Aiken County Detention Center on Tuesday after being charged with manufacturing methamphetamine.
Aiken County sheriff's deputies arrested Archie H. Harvey, 54, of Atomic Road, on Monday night.
Materials for making methamphetamine were found at a dump site on McElmurrary Road, which led investigators to Mr. Harvey's home, Aiken County sheriff's Lt. Michael Frank said.
Deputies seized a large amount of chemicals and hardware from his home, Lt. Frank said.
The Beech Island Fire Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assisted in the case, which marks the ninth methamphetamine lab bust this year in Aiken County.
Sugar plant explosion victims discharged from rehab unit
Two people burned in the Imperial Sugar explosion were discharged Tuesday from Doctors Hospital's rehabilitation unit, and a third will be moved today from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center to the rehab unit, spokeswoman Beth Frits said.
The burn center had received 20 patients injured in the Feb. 7 explosion at the plant near Savannah, Ga. Five patients died as a result of their burn injuries; nine have been discharged to a rehab unit or home; and six remain in the burn center. Of those six, three are in critical condition, one in serious condition, one in fair condition, and the one to be discharged to the rehab unit today is in good condition.
-- From staff reports
Comments
Hello local law enforcement! Sounds like you just received a wake up call regarding security at local events. Thank goodness this boy didn't harm anyone, but what if he had come to the Masters Reception with trouble on his mind? The fact that he managed to walk right on in without being questioned at the gate and mingle with his loaded gun strapped on is very troubling.
The cop impersonation situation is scary. I think the kid was probably gonna kill somebody or had some other evil intentions.
I think this kid just wants to feel important and respected, and sees being a cop as a means of getting those. I doubt that he was a danger to anyone, but he isn't very bright to impersonate a cop. He should have gone to the county to see if they would sponsor him to the police academy. To late for that now, he'll never wear the uniform after this. That's probably good since he obviously lacks good judgment.
BUT nothing!! he's a heifer plain and simple!! He commited the crime, he should do the time! He was obviously going to do something horrible! Good thing they caught him. Good Job... Good Job.
Is it just me or did crime activity raise a little since the gas price increase? And they wonder why pizza guys don't get tipped? Hmmm. That would sound like a job to QUIT cause they just don't pay enough to stay out past dark to deliver pizza.
He didn't just play dressup, he had a loaded gun (which he stole!!!) and was wearing a uniform which he was clearly using to get access or gain someone's trust so he could do something bad. OMG....Just wants to feel important and respected and wasn't a danger.. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME??!!! The jackasses that keep shooting up schools just want to feel important and respected and then they get guns and ...well you know what happens next.
ok!! i agree with you he who must not be named..people, people..
Well done clayton357. When law enforcement works we seldom hear about it. (let it mess up and it stays in the news for weeks) The boy was carrying a loaded, stolen gun. He was boldly walking around impersonating an officer.(poorly) He's apparently not too bright and has demonstrated very poor judgment. The weapon made him dangerous. As to his reason for his actions, we'll have to wait for the next installment. Anything else would be guessing.
Pizza delivery man robbed in south Augusta. I'm surprised.
Pizza delivery man was robbed on Berlin Drive in Barton Village which is in southern Augusta-Richmond county. What a tongue-twister. Can't really blame people for calling it south Augusta, for short. Anyway, hope Alvin Mason is taking up where Moses Todd left off. (He seems to be). I still live in southern Augusta-Richmond county in the safest neighborhood I've lived in in the last 20 years about 2 miles from there, and we don't have the crime problems they do. But there is plenty of crime right outside our subdivision, all around it. I have not relaxed my guard even in this little oasis though. All a criminal needs is an opportunity. Please be reasonably cautious anywhere you go.
Maybe he thought he was horse playing like the other men in uniform on youtube..........
at 18 he could have applied for a job as police officer... but now...
I saw the guy at the Mayor's Reception. I noticed the word police on the back of his shirt and I just thought it was odd. I can't place my finger on exactly why I thought it was odd at the time, but given that he was later arrested for impersonating an officer, maybe he was giving off bad vibes when he walked past me.
HE WHO MUST, great post. To the rest that are down playing it, just check out my user name. You guys are funny.
Maybe the "wannabe" cop wanted to get caught for the attention. Maybe he also just wanted to prove he could infiltrate. Luckily he was not up to harming others.
Debby, it struck us odd as well thats how it all started. We have no Police Dept in Augusta. The word Police sent up red Flags immediately. We have a Sheriff's Dept and a Marshal's Dept. Anything else should be questioned immediately.
Don't credit Campbell for being smart enough to infiltrate the Mayors reception. This was a young guy with delusions of being the police, a former volunteer firefighter (by his own account) who went the wrong way to achieve his goal. In talking to him, he was calm and seemed more interested in the procedural aspects of his arrest than the fact that he was the one going to jail. There are plainly some issues going on there, hopefully some that might have been weeded out during the psych testing phase of any PD or SO application process. The reasonhe went to the reception in the first place was that he was invited to go with a friend wholives in Augusta, of course my next question was "Well why didn't you take off all that S--T before you went in?" He felt that it wasn't a big deal, as allegedly he had been allowed to wear all that stuff when riding along with PD's in SC. I don't know of any agency with a ride along policy that allows riders to be armed.
Thats five hours of my life I'll never get back.
Peace be with you
JR
It always amazes me when I read about a pizza delivery person getting robbed. These idiots are willing to take the chance of spending years in prison by robbing a pizza delivery guy...for what..twenty bucks? Stupid. As for the young man impersonating an officer, whatever his intentions were I'm just glad they caught him. We can call it poor judgement on his part or seeking attention, but seems to me that maybe a mental evaluation is in order. Unstability with a loaded weapon is not a good combination in any circumstances.
JackReacher I feel your pain. It was both painful and sickening to talk to this guy. I got home 3 1/2 hrs late because of him (lol). But, it was time well spent as I cleaned his criminal stinch from the back seat of my crown vic. Did you know he had a friend call and pretended to be his supervisor that night? I think there are more wanna bees meeting at the club house.
He was also carrying handcuffs, pepper spray and a 9 mm pistol with 15 rounds of ammunition.Sounds like he was up to something, and it was nothing good.
"Pizza delivery man robbed in south Augusta. I'm surprised."
patriciathomas it ain't in you is it to just keep the snide comments to yourself, is it? Why do you always have to interject stuff like this on the boards each and every day? Does it every just get old????
Maybe the pizza dude should have hired Mr. Fake Cop for protection.....
Nope, toppergem, patriciathomas sarcastic style doesn't get old. But it does make my brain hurt sometimes. Other times I fall off my chair laughing, that makes up for it. Does it really matter ...The fake cop escort for the pizza guy concept actually crossed my mind briefly, thanks for putting it into words and sharing it with us. LOL
congratulations to the richmond county marshal who spotted this kid! well done. He obviously has a strange cop obsession if he goes to the trouble to buy clothing, duty belt and gear, and it says he had emergency lights on his vehicle!? Thank God he didn't use them to pull a young lady over into a dark alley or something crazy. Regaurding Mutt's post i understand what he's sayin, I'm 19 years old and i start the police academy this friday and i'm looking forward to a career in law enforcment, but this guy has problems no doubt
This fake cop story is pretty scary. This is no child dressing up and pretending. This is someone who has more than a few screws loose and to think that he had a loaded gun and ammunition. Hopefully the sheriff's department will do some thorough investigating, because they may have just touched the tip of the iceberg of something very omnious for the area. Complacency has no place in a world filled with so many angry, troubled people, young and old alike. I would wager that he has done this before.
and why would this stupid kid wear a shirt that says "Police" on it any deputy would find that suspicious being that we only have a sheriff's office; then for him to say he was with NAPD police you'd wonder why he'd be in GA and trying to be on duty where even if he was a cop would habe no authorty or arresting power here...am i right??
Hey, JackReacher, check your messages on the forums please.
toppergem, sorry for the confusion. Hang in there, I'm sure you'll get it eventually.
Hypo, not jumping to conclusions isn't the same as down playing is it?
Thankfully Campbell was arrested for taking a weapon into a public park. Had he been found in possession of the weapon while visiting at least one local high school, however, Campbell would not have been prosecuted even though his possession would have violated GA law. Sleep soundly. Your schoolchildren are being protected.
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