- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
Clearlake man arrested for impersonating law enforcement; found with badges, light bar, blank-firing pistols
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Clearlake man who they say impersonated law enforcement when he pulled a woman over early Wednesday morning in the Kelseyville area, and who was in possession of badges, a light bar, blank-firing pistols and drugs.
Grant Leslie Washam, 47, was arrested early Wednesday, according to a report from Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
At 12:30 a.m. Wednesday the California Highway Patrol broadcasted a be on the lookout, or a BOLO, for a male driving a gray sedan that was equipped with red and blue lights.
It was reported that the male used the lights on his vehicle to stop a female driver in the area of Kit’s Corner in Kelseyville, Paulich said.
According to the BOLO, the woman told authorities that the man who pulled her over said he was looking for stolen plates.
The man responsible was described as a white male wearing an orange and white hockey jersey.
Shortly after the BOLO was issued, a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy observed the suspect vehicle parked in the area of Soda Bay Road and Point Lakeview Road. Paulich said the deputy recognized the male associated with the vehicle from previous contacts as Washam, who also matched the description provided by the female that had been stopped.
Paulich said Washam also was wearing a black beanie that had “police” written on the front in yellow letters.
The deputy observed the handle of a pistol protruding from Washam’s rear waistline, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy detained Washam with handcuffs and removed the stainless steel 9-millimeter revolver, Paulich said.
Paulich said Washam told the deputy the firearm was not real and used for firing blanks. The firearm contained five unexpended blank rounds and one expended round.
The deputy located a San Francisco Sheriff’s Office badge in Washam’s wallet, along with a pair of handcuffs in his pocket, Paulich said.
Washam’s vehicle had red and blue lights affixed to the inside of the windshield. Paulich said deputies searched Washam’s vehicle and located another semiautomatic handgun, a badge reading “U.S. Department of Homeland Security ICE,” and suspected methamphetamine.
Paulich said the second handgun found was, like the first, only capable of firing blanks.
When questioned, Washam told the deputy that he used the guns to scare off animals from where he lived in Clearlake. He said he used the police badges and beanie to mess with his friends, and denied using the lights to stop any vehicles, Paulich said.
Paulich said the deputy was able to determine that the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office badge had been lost by one of its deputies 22 years ago at Konocti Harbor Resort.
The female who originally reported being stopped later positively identified Washam as the person who stopped her, Paulich said.
Washam was arrested and booked at the Lake County Jail for violations of impersonating a police officer, false imprisonment, possession of a controlled substance, openly displaying an imitation firearm in public and violating his Post Release Community Supervision terms, according to Paulich.
In his arrest mugshot, Washam is shown wearing the orange and white hockey jersey the woman had described him as wearing in her report to authorities.
Washam, whose occupation on his booking sheet is listed as “disabled,” remained in custody on Thursday with bail set at $15,000 bail, according to Lake County Jail records.
He is tentatively scheduled to be arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Friday.
Paulich told Lake County News that he’s not aware of any previous law enforcement impersonation cases that matched this one.
He recalled there were a few arrests made for a similar crime during the Valley fire, but those mostly involved people just driving around, and one possible case of a person having lights.
The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information related to Washam’s case or who may have been stopped by Washam to contact Det. Shamus Stafford at 707-262-4231.