Jeremy Charles Dewitte (born 10 February 1980) is an American serial police impersonator and convicted sex offender. Dewitte has been jailed multiple times for repeatedly impersonating police officers among other crimes while working as a funeral procession escort.
Jeremy Dewitte | |
|---|---|
 Mugshot of Dewitte in 2022 | |
| Born | Jeremy Charles Dewitte February 10, 1980 [2] Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Funeral procession escort services provider |
| Organization | Metro State Vehicle Protection Services (owner-operator) |
| Known for | Impersonating law enforcement / Child Crimes |
| Television | Dr. Phil (2021) |
| Criminal charge | Impersonating a police officer; and Failing to register as a sex offender |
| Details | |
| State(s) | Florida |
| Imprisoned at | Osceola County Jail[1] |
Career
editDewitte is from central Florida[3][4] and was the owner-operator of Metro State Vehicle Protection Services which provided vehicle escorts to funeral processions.
Dewitte claimed to have served in the United States Army Special Forces, to have participated in the Second Battle of Fallujah, and to have an early medical discharge due to injuries sustained in a parachute jump, while in actuality, Dewitte never served in any branch of the armed forces and was in prison during the time he claims to have served.[5][6][7]
Legal and media issues
editDewitte was charged in 2001 with impersonating a police officer, while a member of a police explorers’ program.[8] His 2003 impersonation of a police officer resulted in an almost two year state jail sentence.[5] In 2005 he was arrested for sexual battery of a victim between 12 and 15 years old, mandating him to register as a sex offender.[5] In 2009, he was sentenced to an extra four years in jail for breaching parole stipulations, although he was released early in October 2011.[5]
In 2018, Dewitte was criminally charged for failing to register as a sex offender.[9]
In October 2019, he was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Office a second time for impersonating a police officer in Windermere, Florida.[8] Dewitte was accused of "wearing a shirt with a police badge, a bullet-resistant vest and a helmet with a police-like badge while he worked a funeral procession."[8]
In November 2019, he was arrested and accused of impersonating a police officer a third time.[10]
In February 2021, he appeared on the television talk show Dr. Phil and denied impersonating police.[11] The next month, he was arrested again for impersonating a police officer.[12] Dewitte had an imitation pistol when arrested.[12] In September 2021, he was sentenced to 18 months in jail, had his driving license suspended for six months, and sentenced to four years of probation.[6]
After being released from jail around August 2022,[13] Dewitte was arrested on November 29, 2022,[13] by Osceola County Sheriff's Office for violating his probation conditions.[11][14][15] Dewitte informed news channel WFTV that the arrest stemmed from his not shutting down his YouTube channel, and that he had lost control of the channel, preventing him from taking the channel offline.[13] In 2023 and 2024, Dewitte was arrested several times on insurance fraud charges [16][17] and failure to report online accounts and vehicles.[18]
On November 1, 2024 Dewitte was convicted and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison by a jury for failure to register a new motor vehicle as a past sexual offender.[19][20]
References
edit- ^ "Osceola County Corrections and Jail Services". Retrieved 7 November 2024.
- ^ "FDLE - Sexual Offender and Predator System". offender.fdle.state.fl.us.
- ^ Papantonis, Nick; Poulisse, Adam (2023-01-20). "Central Florida man who previously impersonated police officer faces slew of insurance fraud charges". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
- ^ "Jeremy Dewitte". Arrests.org. 2023-01-20. Archived from the original on 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ a b c d Weiner, Jeff (31 Oct 2019). "Watch: Sex offender accused of impersonating officer weaves through traffic, barks profanities at drivers". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b Tutten, James (2021-09-17). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer sentenced to 18 months in prison". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Fritschie, Dan (4 May 2021). "Florida Man: 6 Crazy Details Of A Serial Police Impersonator". Cracked.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Boyce, Christopher; Ray, Karla (2019-10-30). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer twice pleads with judge, bonds out of jail". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Edlund, Ashley; Brieskorn, Katlyn (2020-02-13). "'It's about time': Woman says she warned deputies of man who impersonated police officers years ago". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Brieskorn, Katlyn (2019-11-15). "Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer for third time". WFTV. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b "Arrestan otra vez al hombre que se hace pasar por policía en Florida Central". Univision (in Spanish). 30 Nov 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b Nuñez, Gabriella (2021-03-24). "Florida man notorious for impersonating cops arrested again". WKMG. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ a b c Matkin, Holly (2022-11-30). "Notorious Convicted Cop-Impersonating Sex Offender Arrested Again After Standoff". The Police Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ Langston, Jacob (2022-11-30). "Central Florida man known for impersonating cops arrested again". WKMG. Archived from the original on 2023-01-02. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
- ^ Young, Matt (2022-11-30). "Florida 'Fake Cop' Arrested Again After Violating Probation". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
- ^ "CFO Jimmy Patronis Announces Arrest of Serial Fraudster in Central Florida | National Insurance Crime Bureau". www.nicb.org.
- ^ "Central Florida man who previously impersonated police officer faces slew of insurance fraud charges". WFTV. January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Accused Florida serial police impersonator arrested again". FOX 35 Orlando. April 13, 2024.
- ^ "Andrew A. Bain State Attorney 9th Judicial Circuit. Jeremy Dewitte Sentenced to Nearly Seven Years for Sex Offender Violation".
- ^ "Habitual police impersonator Dewitte sent to prison; see why". Osceola News-Gazette. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
