A teenager from Maryland posed as a police officer, stole a patrol car and made traffic stops
Jayden Ballard, 19, used a Maryland State Police vehicle while wearing an official uniform. It is not yet known how he did it.
The Maryland State Police say a 19-year-old man posed as one of their officers and made traffic stops fake.
The agency said Jayden Ballard, a Salisbury resident, received a criminal summons in February and was charged with impersonating a police officer and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.
"Maryland State Police received information alleging Ballard gained access to a marked Maryland State Police vehicle," police said.
"Investigators believe he was operating the patrol car in Maryland State Police uniform throughout Wicomico County and conducting illegal traffic stops," authorities said.
The photos purportedly show Ballard wearing a beige uniform with a radio strapped to his chest.
According to Fox News, the case began to take shape on January 12, when a victim reported that a State Police patrol car from Salisbury stopped her around 12:30 a.m. at the intersection of South Division and Milford. According to court documents, the alleged officer did not identify himself and only explained the reason for the stop.
The victim surrendered her license and registration, and Ballard, after briefly returning to the police vehicle, returned the documents along with a Maryland crime victims pamphlet.
A spokesperson for the Maryland State Police told WJLA that how Ballard gained access to the uniform and patrol car is part of the investigation.
Police are asking anyone who may have interacted with Ballard while he was posing as a Maryland State Police officer to contact the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division," the State Police said in a statement.
Ballard's trial is scheduled to begin September 24, according to online court records.

