Jacksonville man charged with impersonating cop

ORANGE PARK – A formerly convicted felon was arrested by Clay County Sheriff’s Office during a routine traffic stop for impersonating a law enforcement officer, driving on a revoked driver’s license and possession of a weapon.

On Feb. 22 Terence Leon Pitts, 28, of Jacksonville, was traveling on Blanding Blvd when a Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputy pulled him over for speeding. The police report indicated the officer began to question Pitts when he saw him wearing a Drug Enforcement Administration shirt, khaki pants, handcuffs and a holster without a gun. The report said Pitts did not have proper identification at the time of the stop. Reports show that he offered up false information of being special agent "Terence Dunbar."

The officer checked with several law enforcement agencies and proved Pitts’s story to be false. During the background check, the officer discovered Pitts’s license had been suspended indefinitely due to seven unpaid traffic fines, and five accounts of failure to appear to a traffic summons.

Pitts had a criminal history as well, so indicated by the officer’s report, confirming he had felony convictions of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and grand theft or smuggling of contraband.

During the arrest, a stun gun was found in the glove compartment. The report also indicates a female called Pitts in need of car assistance so the officer sent units to help her. The woman explained that for the past nine months, he usually wore the DEA shirt and impersonated a special.

Pitts was booked into the Clay County Jail where, at press time, he remained on $55,009 bond.