By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Guyton man charged with impersonating a police officer
Placeholder Image

Statesboro Police arrested a man early Wednesday morning they said pretended to be a law enforcement officer and groped a woman at a local bar.

Jeffrey Daniel Lucas, 32, of Guyton, was once a police officer with the Thunderbolt Police in 2006 and more recently with the Rincon Police, said Statesboro Police Chief Stan York.

But his employment ended Jan. 16, 2007, and he is “no longer employed as a police officer in any jurisdiction ....” he said.

That didn’t stop Lucas from flashing a Thunderbolt Police badge while he was in Retriever’s at University Plaza on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, he said.

Statesboro Police officers responded to the bar around 1 a.m. Wednesday and confronted Lucas after witnesses pointed him out.

Det. Ken Scott and Sgt. Charles Forney found Lucas in possession of the badge and police identification, which witnesses told them Lucas used by “flashing his badge” and “ identifying himself as a ‘cop,’” York said.

“Further investigation revealed (Lucas) had also engaged in inappropriate touching of a female and had detained a female as he searched through her wallet to verify her age and identity,” he said.

Scott and Forney arrested Lucas at the scene, charging him with impersonating a police officer, false imprisonment, sexual battery, theft by receiving stolen property and public intoxication.

Lucas is being held in the Bulloch County Jail without bond, according to jail records.