Fmr. BSO Applicant Allegedly Impersonated Deputy
CORAL SPRINGS (CBSMiami) - A Coral Springs man accused of impersonating a Broward Sheriff's deputy and conducting at least two traffic stops is in the Broward County Jail Friday night and BSO wants to know if there are other victims.
According to BSO, Tiago Monteiro pulled over a teenage girl in Fort Lauderdale and a man in southern Palm Beach County last Friday. An arrest report says Monteiro pulled the girl over after she failed to let him into her lane.
Watch Carey Codd's report, click here.
When the girl asked who he worked for, the arrest report says that Monteiro told her, "technician at the county jail." The report also says that Monteiro showed her "an identification card that was on a lanyard attached to his waist." However, the victim said she did not get a good look at the ID. She told investigators that "due to the police-like actions of Monteiro, she believed that he was in a position of authority."
The report says that Monteiro took the girl's driver's license and registration for a time and decided to "let her off on a verbal warning." The BSO report says the girl's father is a BSO employee and that an investigation was done after the traffic stop where it was revealed that Monteiro did not work for the agency.
Two hours later, BSO says Monteiro pulled over William Bucknam, a former federal prosecutor, in southern Palm Beach County. According to BSO, Bucknam became suspicious of Monteiro and took photos of Monteiro and his vehicle.
Bucknam described the incident which began when the man driving the black Volvo suddenly appeared in Bucknam's rear view mirror.
"I got concerned because that person may have well been sitting in my back seat, that's how close he was," Bucknam told CBS 4's Carey Codd.
Then, Bucknam says, the driver of the car got out.
"He came out of the car and he charged my car and I got a little bit alarmed," Bucknam said.
Bucknam started snapping pictures of the man.
"He was very aggressive, very agitated," he said. "When I initially did not roll down the window he kept screaming louder."
Bucknam eventually spoke to the man, who again claimed to be a detention technician with the Broward Sheriff's Office. The man ordered Bucknam to follow him, which Bucknam did. Then Bucknam asked for the man's name. He said it was Tiago Monteiro.
"I said, 'Fine Mr. Monteiro. We're now going to call 911,'" he said.
A short time later a Boca Raton police officer arrived and sent Bucknam on his way. But Bucknam told the officer his hunch.
"I said this guy is very polished and very glib and, in my opinion, based on my experience in law enforcement many years ago, this was not the first time he had done this and wouldn't be the last," Bucknam said.
Monteiro was arrested on Friday -- one week after the incidents. BSO says Monteiro admitted to the crimes. When Monteiro was arrested he "confessed to portraying himself as a detention technician and performing the traffic stops," according to the BSO arrest report.
Investigators say Monteiro did not have BSO agency identification, lights or sirens in his car or a weapon on him during the traffic stops. They say he did have a misplaced desire to pull drivers over.
"He felt that they were either too young or aggressive drivers or for whatever reason he felt they shouldn't be driving," said BSO Spokesperson Gina Carter. "He took it upon himself to pull them over and pretend to be a BSO employee."
According to BSO, Monteiro applied 14 times in the past several years to work for BSO in many different capacities. However he was never hired. The agency also says Monteiro has a history of mental health problems.
BSO fears there may be more victims in our community.
"It's very rare that somebody would do this twice in one day, such an aggressive act and not have done it at any other time so there's a high likelihood that there are more victims," Carter said.
If you have any information, investigators want you to call the Broward Sheriff's Office or Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493- TIPS.
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