Police: Mahtomedi man lied about phony officer

Mahtomedi man had claimed he gave several hundred dollars to a man in an unmarked car after a traffic stop.

September 1, 2010 at 4:29AM

A man who told authorities he was pulled over by somebody impersonating a police officer and robbed of several hundred dollars earlier this summer turned out to be telling a tall tale, according to police.

White Bear Lake police have determined that Gerald Jermaine Schanus made up the incident that he reported July 15, said Capt. Randy Johnson. Schanus was cited Monday with falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor, and will appear in court next month.

Police began investigating the case after Schanus, 22, of Mahtomedi, called to report that a man wearing a black uniform and driving what looked to be an unmarked squad car with red and blue flashing lights in its grille stopped him at Hwy. 61 and Hwy. 96 just before 11 a.m.

Schanus told police the man who stopped him for a minor equipment violation would accept cash on the spot in lieu of a ticket. Schanus told police he handed the man "several hundred dollars."

Police composed a sketch of the suspect, based on a description provided by Schanus. The sketch was distributed publicly to generate tips. They also showed Schanus a photo lineup in hopes of identifying the impostor. Police received several tips, but none led to a suspect, Johnson said.

Police then obtained Schanus' cell phone records, which placed him in the vicinity of I-35E and I-35W in the Forest Lake/Columbus Township area at the time of the alleged crime. A business owner confirmed that Schanus was in Columbus Township at 11 a.m. on July 15, police said.

As a result, police determined that no traffic stop or robbery occurred and concluded that Schanus had made up the story.

Chief Lynne Bankes said it's an odd case.

"You rarely see an individual accuse the police or the department of robbery," she said. "So it was suspicious in the first place."

TIM HARLOW

about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.

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