Florida Man Arrested for Impersonating Cop at Dunkin' Donuts
A Florida man named Chuck Barry (no, not that Chuck Berry) was arrested last week for allegedly impersonating a cop in attempt to get a discount at Dunkin' Donuts.
According to the Pasco County sheriff's department, on the morning of November 6 Barry entered the drive-thru lane at a Tampa-area Dunkin' Donuts and requested a discount for his coffee by telling the cashier he was an Air Marshal and showing her a gold badge. After checking with her manager, the cashier refused Barry's request, at which point the 48-year-old held up a holstered pistol and said, "See, I'm a cop."
This wasn't the first time Barry had attempted such a stunt. From the Tampa Bay Times:
The manager, Michelle Hoeltk, said Barry had come by before, usually between 9:30 and 9:50 a.m. He first said he was a U.S. Marshal, then a U.S. Air Marshal. Sometimes he came in on weekends with his family, and still requested a discount. Sometimes he received 10 percent off.
Hoeltik notified the sheriff's department and when Barry returned—the very next day, natch—she took down his liscene plate number. Sherriff's deputies pulled Barry over when he returned to the store, and found a Morris County (New Jersey) Sherriff's Office badge in his wallet and a .38 pistol in his front pocket.
"It's okay to question," Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco told the Tampa Bay Times. "It really is an issue that people out there are trying to play cops, and they could have done something crazy that could have hurt somebody. We're thankful that it was just a cup of coffee."
Morris, whose father was a deputy in Morris County, was arrested and charged with impersonating an officer and improper exhibition of a firearm. He was later released after posting $5,150 bail.