Washington State Patrol impersonator reported

ROYAL CITY — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office reports that there may someone posing as a Washington State Patrol officer in Grant County as part of a scam.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) received a report on Feb.16 from a citizen who was stopped for an alleged traffic violation on State Route (SR) 26 near Royal City. The circumstances of the citizen’s interaction with the individual raised concerns about whether or not they were stopped by an actual law enforcement officer.

The possible police impersonator was described as wearing a black or dark-colored uniform with patches on the shoulder, gun belt, baseball cap and sunglasses. A name tag with “Parker” on it was observed.

The person is a medium-build white male approximately six feet tall with blond hair and a few days’ growth of facial hair. He was driving a white SUV with some type of marking or insignia on the door and emergency lights in the windshield.

The WSP advises citizens to call 911 any time they have questions about a patrol vehicle stopping them. Be prepared to give your location, direction of travel and a description of your vehicle as well as the patrol vehicle. Citizens are advised not to increase speed, or attempt evasive actions when being stopped.

If you have any information about this person or incident, please contact Detective Matt Andersen or Detective Sergeant Kurt Adkinson at (509) 765-6175 or (509) 682-8090.