VINTON COUNTY, Ohio – A man is in custody and accused of pulling someone over while pretending to be a police officer in Vinton County according to the sheriff’s office.
The Vinton County Sheriff’s Office said it took a call on April 8 about a man using red and blue lights to pull someone over at Lake Alma State Park.
The caller said the man had a badge, radio and handcuffs and was able to get the driver out of the vehicle.
The man let the driver go.
The sheriff’s office said 22-year-old Joshua Byers of Albany, Ohio was arrested on April 11 in connection to the case.
Byers is a registered sex offender from Athens County, living in Vinton County. He is charged with failure to register as a sex offender, according to the sheriff’s office.
He pleaded guilty in 2014 of an importuning charge in Muskingum County and still is under supervision by the Adult Parole Authority.
The five-year supervision started in January 2015.
The sheriff’s office said charges of kidnapping and impersonating a police officer will be sent to the Vinton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to review.
Byers is being held at the Southeast Ohio Regional Jail.
