LAKELAND, Florida — A 49-year-old Uber driver was arrested for impersonating a law enforcement officer during a traffic stop, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
John Edouard Gerlus, of Orlando, was taken into custody Thursday afternoon after a deputy observed his 2016 Honda Crosstour failing to stop at a traffic light on Lakeland Hills Boulevard. During the stop, Gerlus exited his vehicle and approached the deputy, claiming to be a police officer while displaying a New York Police Department badge and a photo of himself in a police uniform, the sheriff’s office reported.
Gerlus also claimed to be employed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which later confirmed he was not an employee but was undergoing the hiring process. He eventually admitted to not being a law enforcement officer and said he obtained the NYPD badge from a friend who is a dispatcher in New York…