Man Handcuffed Teen Girls In Mill Valley Arrested For Allegedly Impersonating An Officer
MILL VALLEY (CBS SF) -- A Cloverdale man who handcuffed two teen girls while pretending to be a police officer in Mill Valley Tuesday was arrested for impersonating an officer, police said.
A witness notified Mill Valley police Tuesday evening about a man handcuffing two teen girls and placing them in the back seat of a Ford sedan that resembled a police car in the parking lot of the Alto Shopping Center on E. Blithedale Avenue, police said.
The witnesses confronted the man, who made statements indicating he was a police officer although he was not in uniform, Detective Steve Heisinger said.
Police responded around 6:30 p.m. and determined no law enforcement agencies were involved in any arrest in that area, and the Ford was gone before police arrived, Heisinger said.
The driver of the solid white Ford Crown Victoria was located and identified as Frank Christ, 26, of Cloverdale, Heisinger said.
The Ford had no logos or emblems but was equipped with antennae and internally-mounted lighting equipment, Heisinger said.
Inside the car police found portable radios and scanning devices, loaded ammunition magazines, handcuffs, pepper spray, flashlights and a controlled substance, and a legally-owned pistol was found in the trunk, Heisinger said.
The teen girls said they were acquainted with Christ and all three of them were engaging in harmless horseplay, Heisinger said.
Christ was arrested for impersonating an officer and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. He was booked in the Marin County jail but posted bail.