Newton man charged with impersonating Waltham police officer
A 62-year-old man from Newton has been charged with impersonating a Waltham police officer, according to a Nov. 18 Waltham Wicked Local article.
The article reported that the man, Angelo Leporini, was charged with “impersonating a police officer, use without authority (badge), and disturbing the peace.”
The incident occurred on Nov. 11 after a woman slipped while walking around a pile of leaves on the sidewalk. Her partner approached Leporini and asked him to clean up the leaves, according to a Nov. 18 Patch Waltham article.
The Newton man responded angrily, asserting that he did not put the leaves there, going to his truck and retrieving a Waltham Police badge, according the same Patch Waltham article.
The article then reported that when Leporini would not give the couple his name they called the police, at which point the police asked for his badge. Leporini became agitated, and began moving erratically which caused at least one car to swerve to avoid hitting him. Multiple pedestrians crossed the street to avoid him as well, according to the Waltham Wicked Local article.
The same article reported that once Leporini calmed down, he gave the officers his badge, but became angered again as they ran it through the system, at which point he was arrested.
Massachusetts state law says that impersonating a police officer can result in a fine of not more than four hundred dollars or up to a year in prison.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Justice.