The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said on Wednesday that it is aggressively investigating an incident that happened on Tuesday morning in Stroud involving a trooper impersonator and a young woman he pulled over.
The impersonator pulled over the young woman, who asked to not be named for her safety, as she drove to work and headed eastbound into Stroud on the Turner Turnpike.
The suspect, who drove a black Nissan Titan, had flashing lights on the bar of his vehicle.
“And he literally walked up and said, ‘Hi, I’m with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. I need you to step out of the vehicle ma’am.’ There was no identification. No, ‘who are you?’ Nothing. He just said ‘I need you to step out of the vehicle and come look at this,’ the young woman’s mother, Laura Metheny, told News 9.
Metheny continued, “and she said, ‘I cannot get out right here. It’s not safe. I don’t feel safe to exit the vehicle,’ and he started getting agitated, and that’s when he started yanking on the door handle.”
The man fled as soon as the woman reached for her phone and pepper spray, her mom explained.
“It’s terrifying. It’s very scary thinking what could’ve happened to her, so I’m very thankful that things turned out the way they did,” Metheny finished.
Lt. Mark Southall with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol explained that OHP is taking this allegation very seriously.
“We’re actively investigating it; looking into this to see if we can locate who might have stopped this woman.”
He reminded drivers to stay vigilant.
“Oklahoma State Troopers have marked vehicles. We have the Oklahoma Patrol Map on the side of our units. We have ‘state trooper’ written on the front fenders and also on the back. We’re easily identifiable.”
OHP added that if you’re unsure of an officer’s legitimacy:
- Slow down and turn on your hazards
- Call 911 to verify traffic stop.
