Florida Woman Arrested For Wrapping Car To Imitate A Florida State Trooper
On Tuesday, a Florida businesswoman faced the harsh reality that pretending to be a state trooper is not taken lightly by law enforcement officials.
Northwest Miami-Dade
It all began with an unusual occurrence in the Northwest Miami-Dade area on October 10th. A pair of Florida Highway Patrol officers claimed to have witnessed a Dodge Charger driving in the opposite direction. The vehicle looked legitimate with its black and bronze color scheme, which matched that of trooper patrol cars, and even had a light bar attached. However, the officers noticed something peculiar about the decals on the side of the car; they read "FSO Guard" with a badge designed to resemble a police shield.
The Charger was stopped by the troopers who had swiftly turned around and caught up to it. The driver, Iulia Pugachev, was questioned and she admitted that the only reason she had chosen the car was because she admired its color. That was her explanation anyway.
Troopers reported that the Hollywood woman initially claimed her car's color scheme matched theirs because it came from a car auction that already had the trooper scheme. However, the troopers pointed out that FHP doesn't sell used units with the same colors.
Afterward, Pugachev admitted that she had her car wrapped in black and tan after being inspired by FHP's color scheme and "falling in love with it." She also added a blue and white light bar to her car's roof. This was all according to the report.
After being arrested, Pugachev was charged with imitating a Florida Highway Patrol vehicle, misusing a dealer plate, and driving an unregistered vehicle. It is not acceptable to pretend to be a law enforcement officer, regardless of your occupation. The security company she worked for did not give her permission to do so. The Herald reported that Pugachev was released from custody with a court appearance date scheduled.
