Man Allegedly Posed As Officer Seeking Free Sex
WYOMING (WWJ/AP) - Authorities say a man impersonated a police officer as part of an effort to get sex from a pair of women at a West Michigan motel.
Lavern Stephen Filipunas has been ordered to stand trial in Kent County Circuit Court on charges of impersonating an officer and extortion. The 32-year-old Kalamazoo resident is currently free after posting 10 percent of a $50,000 bond.
Authorities say Filipunas posted an ad online, seeking women to have sex with him for $300. Two women responded to the ad and made arrangements to meet Filipunas at the Super 8 Motel in Wyoming.
The women claim that Filipunas flashed a security guard badge after they arrived at a motel, and threatened to take the women to jail if they didn't perform sexual favors for free.
In a recent court hearing, one of the women testified that Filipunas said: "In order for me not to take you guys to jail, what are you going to do for me?"
Filipunas allegedly told the women he's made similar arrests at the motel before, and that a white van with two officers was sitting outside the motel.
According to court testimony, the women both performed sex acts on Filipunas, who promptly left afterwards without giving the women any money.
Defense lawyer Lesley Kranenberg says Filipunas never directly said he was a police officer. According to court documents, Filipunas told police he used his security badge "to get a 'discount' on the price for sex." He also told police that he left without paying them because both women said he didn't have to pay, Mlive.com reported. The women, however, said they wouldn't have performed the sex acts for free.
Prosecutors say neither woman has a record of soliciting sex, and they both claimed the Internet proposal was a first-time event for them. It wasn't clear whether the women would face charges.
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