Police say suspect impersonated officer, robbed victims

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Mobile police said a Grand Bay man used a fake badge to rob at least two people. 

Neysa Morales was inside her mobile home off Old Pascagoula Road Friday when someone approached her husband who was standing outside.

Morales described the situation in Spanish, and her friend Marie Smith translated. 

"They said they were Mobile police detectives. They had an order for arrest, and a search warrant," Smith said.

Morales isn't as confident with her English, but was able to describe what happened in her own words.

"And they coming to him and say, ‘You are under arrest. I am police officer.’ They present badge and identification and have handcuffs," Morales said.

Mobile police said 26-year-old Gary Olson was the man pretending to be a police officer.  Investigators believe he also robbed a man in Theodore using the same badge.

That incident happened around 5:20 p.m. on Cary Hamilton Road on Friday. Less than an hour later, police said Olson was at the Mobile Home Park where Morales lives.

Morales said she knew something wasn't right about the fake cop.

"I said show me the paperwork. You know, show me the paperwork. He tried to take him to her car, the car, and I pulled back no you don't," she said.

With her husband in handcuffs and two people trying to force him into their car, Morales said the only thing she could think to do was try to get their tag number.

While she held onto her husband, Morales yelled for her brother in law to help.

"I told him you have to call 911, and take the number of the tag, because they are liar. They are stealer.  He start to write the number of the tag, and they just left and left the handcuff on one hand," she said.

Neighbors in the mobile home park saw the car leaving.

"Apparently, they couldn't show the warrant. That's when they got spooked, and they backed out of here real fast.," a neighbor said.

The suspects did get away with the victims money and identification.

Police said the description they got from the victims led them to Olson.  He's charged with two counts of impersonating a peace officer and theft. 

Olson remains in Metro Jail without bond.

Morales said it took family members two hours to break the handcuffs from her husband’s wrist.