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Safety Harbor Man Charged With Impersonating Officer

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 11, 2007

DUNEDIN - When a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy happened upon a Mercury in the middle of State Road 580 Monday, he thought it was an undercover police car because there was a flashing red light on its dashboard and flashing blue and red lights beneath the rear bumper.

The driver was no lawman, however, sheriff's Sgt. Jim Bordner said.

Lawrence Hyker, 66, of 1416 Oak Haven Drive, Safety Harbor, was arrested on a bevy of charges – including a count of impersonating an officer, Bordner said.

Lawrence Hyker, 66

When the deputy passed the 17-year-old Mercury, he realized the car was too old to be a law enforcement vehicle, so he turned around to talk with the driver, and the driver drove away, Bordner said.

After the deputy pulled the Mercury over in a parking lot, Hyker stopped the car and got out wearing a green baseball cap with a sheriff's star and the word deputy sheriff emblazoned across it, Bordner said.

When the deputy approached the Mercury, he saw three scanners inside the car that were hardwired to its engine, along with switches that activate lights, Bordner said. There also was a blue windbreaker with the word "police" in silver reflective lettering on the back, as well as three badges – one labeled Hernando, another labeled Homeland Security, and a third with only the word "agency" on it.

Hyker also had an Asp collapsible baton and two sets of handcuff keys on him, one in his pocket and another around his neck, Bordner said.

Hyker also had prescription medication that was improperly packaged; the pills were in bottles with no labels on them, Bordner said.

Hyker claimed to have been a police officer in Safety Harbor in 1993, but the sheriff's office says it was responsible for providing law enforcement protection for the tiny city back then and Hyker's name doesn't appear on any records, Bordner said.

His name does appear on requests for ride-alongs with deputies, but he was never granted that opportunity, Bordner said. Only members of the media, as well as members of other law enforcement agencies, can go on ride-alongs with sheriff's deputies in Pinellas, Bordner said.

In addition to impersonating an officer, Hyker was charged with possession of butalbital, possession of a concealed handcuff key, three counts of unlawfully installing radio equipment, and possession of alprazolam, jail records show.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 415-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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