Ohio Man Faces Criminal Charges After Impersonating Police Officer, Ordering Couple To Pull Over And Lay On Ground

A mentally ill Ohio man who impersonated a police officer, ordered a couple to pull their vehicle over, and lay on the ground is now facing criminal charges, according to Fox 8.

At 3 a.m. on Saturday, 29-year-old Brandon Funk and his fiancé Amy Jo Saller, 33, – both of Akron – were driving home from a friend’s house on S. Arlington Street when another car flashed its headlights at them.

The man in the car was 50-year-old Bernard Herron, who yelled out of his window and told the couple he was an off-duty police officer and wanted them to pull their vehicle over. When they followed his orders, Herron then ordered Funk to lay on the ground and told the passenger, Saller, to stand on the sidewalk with her hands in the air.

“He was screaming like he had a gun, telling us to get on the ground. There’s been a lot of killing in Akron. I’m just praying for everybody,” said Saller.

Cleveland reported that Herron told the Akron couple that he pulled them over because he received a call about a domestic dispute, involving the two. Both parties denied the allegation and were in fear of their lives as he made several comments about having a gun, but what the couple didn’t know was that Herron was only impersonating a police officer.

Akron police say that civilians should be aware that unmarked cars are not permitted to pull a vehicle over for a traffic violation. If an off-duty officer pulls a vehicle over, they are to call for back-up, and most importantly, an officer is to show their badge.

However, the fake cop was exposed when two real Akron police officers came strolling along and found Saller standing on the sidewalk with her hands in the air and her fiancé on the ground. At that point, Herron was seen standing between his car and the victims’ car pointing his hand at the ground as if he had a gun.

When police saw him, they immediately recognized him, as he is no stranger to the law. Herron, who is mentally ill, has been arrested several times for robbery and destroying windows at police headquarters.

“We’ve known Bernie for years. He lives downtown here. He’s been in and out of various institutes. We’ve worked with him before; we tried to help him out,” said police captain Daniel Zampelli.

Herron was arrested and charged with “impersonating a police officer, menacing and unlawful restraint.”

He is currently being held at the county jail.

[Image via YouTube Screen Capture]