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Man Charged With Impersonating Police

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2007

Updated: 12/11/2007 11:58 pm

DUNEDIN - When a Pinellas County sheriff's deputy happened on a Mercury in the middle of State Road 580 on Monday, the flashing lights on the dashboard and beneath the rear bumper made him think it belonged to an undercover officer.

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

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

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, who drove away.

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 words deputy sheriff across it, Bordner said.

When the deputy approached the Mercury, he saw three scanners inside the car that were wired 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 a collapsible baton and two sets of handcuff keys, one in his pocket and another around his neck, Bordner said.

He said Hyker was carrying prescription medication that was improperly packaged; the pills were in bottles with no labels.

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 for the city then, and Hyker's name does not appear on any records, Bordner said.

His name does appear on requests for ride-alongs with deputies, but he was never granted that opportunity, according to Bordner. 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 County, Bordner said.

In addition to impersonating an officer, Hyker was charged with unlawful possession of two drugs, possession of a concealed handcuff key and three counts of unlawfully installing radio equipment, jail records show. He was in Pinellas County Jail.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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