Jeremy Dewitte
Jeremy Dewitte | |
---|---|
Mugshot of Dewitte in 2022 | |
Born | Jeremy Charles Dewitte February 10, 1980 [1] |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Funeral procession escort |
Employer | Metro State Vehicle Protection Services (owner-operator) |
Known for | Impersonating law enforcement / Child Crimes |
Television | Dr. Phil (2021) |
Criminal charge | Impersonating a police officer; and Failing to register as a sex offender |
Details | |
State(s) | Florida |
Jeremy "Jay" Charles Dewitte is an American former funeral procession escort, convicted sex offender, and serial police impersonator. Dewitte has been jailed multiple times for repeatedly impersonating police officers among other crimes.
Career
[edit]Dewitte is from Central Florida[2][3] and was the owner-operator of Metro State Vehicle Protection Services which provided vehicle escorts to funeral processions.[4][5]
Legal and media issues
[edit]Dewitte was charged in 2001 with impersonating a police officer.[6] His 2003 impersonation of a police officer resulted in an almost two year state jail sentence.[4] In 2005 he was arrested for sexual battery of a teenage girl, mandating him to register as a sex offender.[4] In 2009, he was sentenced to an extra four years in jail for breaching parole stipulations, although he was released early in October 2011.[4]
In 2018, Dewitte was criminally charged for failing to register as a sex offender.[7] In October 2019, he was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Department for impersonating a police officer in Windermere, Florida.[6] Dewitte was accused of "wearing a shirt with a police badge, a bullet-resistant vest and a helmet with a police-like badge while he worked a funeral procession."[6] In November 2019, he was accused of impersonating a police officer a third time.[8]
In February 2021, he appeared on the television talk show Dr. Phil and denied impersonating police.[9] The next month, he was arrested again for impersonating a police officer.[10] Dewitte had an imitation pistol when arrested.[10] In September 2021, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail, had his driving license suspended for six months, and sentenced to four years of probation.[5]
After being released from jail around August 2022,[11] Dewitte was arrested on November 29, 2022,[11] by Osceola County Sheriff's Department for violating his probation conditions.[9][12][13] Dewitte informed news channel WFTV that the arrest stemmed from his not shutting down his YouTube channel, and that he had lost control of the channel, preventing him from taking the channel offline.[11] In 2023 and 2024, Dewitte was arrested several times on insurance fraud charges [14][15] and failure to report online accounts and vehicles.[16] He is currently being held in Osceola County Jail on no bond. He has also been indicted for federal tax fraud charges relating to underreporting the income of Metro State Special Services for the years 2017 and 2018.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "FDLE - Sexual Offender and Predator System". offender.fdle.state.fl.us.
- ^ Papantonis, Nick; Poulisse, Adam (2023-01-20). "Central Florida man who previously impersonated police officer faces slew of insurance fraud charges". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Jeremy Dewitte". Arrests.org. 2023-01-20. Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ a b c d Weiner, Jeff (31 Oct 2019). "Watch: Sex offender accused of impersonating officer weaves through traffic, barks profanities at drivers". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b Tutten, James (2021-09-17). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer sentenced to 18 months in prison". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c Boyce, Christopher; Ray, Karla (2019-10-30). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer twice pleads with judge, bonds out of jail". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Edlund, Ashley; Brieskorn, Katlyn (2020-02-13). "'It's about time': Woman says she warned deputies of man who impersonated police officers years ago". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Brieskorn, Katlyn (2019-11-15). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer for third time". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b "Arrestan otra vez al hombre que se hace pasar por policía en Florida Central". Univision (in Spanish). 30 Nov 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b Nuñez, Gabriella (2021-03-24). "Florida man notorious for impersonating cops arrested again". WKMG. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c Matkin, Holly (2022-11-30). "Notorious Convicted Cop-Impersonating Sex Offender Arrested Again After Standoff". The Police Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ Langston, Jacob (2022-11-30). "Central Florida man known for impersonating cops arrested again". WKMG. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Young, Matt (2022-11-30). "Florida 'Fake Cop' Arrested Again After Violating Probation". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ "CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Arrest of Serial Fraudster in Central Florida | National Insurance Crime Bureau". www.nicb.org.
- ^ "Central Florida man who previously impersonated police officer faces slew of insurance fraud charges". WFTV. January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Accused Florida serial police impersonator arrested again". FOX 35 Orlando. April 13, 2024.
- ^ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flmd.425776/gov.uscourts.flmd.425776.1.0.pdf
External links
[edit]- Metro State Services - Facebook page