HOLLY SPRINGS, Ark. — Arkansas State Police arrested a Hot Springs man Friday after he allegedly activated blue lights, presented a sheriff’s badge and identification card during a traffic stop and outfitted his vehicle with police radios, a siren and a bulletproof vest — all while impersonating a law enforcement officer, authorities said.
Dennis Truelove, 66, was taken into custody following two traffic stops on U.S. Highway 79 and State Highway 9, and now faces charges of first-degree criminal impersonation, unlawful use of blue lights and multiple traffic offenses.
According to ASP, a Criminal Investigation Division special agent in an unmarked vehicle initiated a traffic stop around 1 p.m. Friday after a black Chevrolet Tahoe approached him at a high rate of speed with blue lights activated on U.S. Highway 79 in Ouachita County.
Truelove told the agent he was employed by the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Office. The agent terminated the contact due to the vehicle’s position in the roadway and continued northbound, then contacted the sheriff’s office. No deputies matching Truelove’s description or operating a black Chevy Tahoe were assigned to the agency, ASP said.
The vehicle was later spotted traveling northbound on State Highway 9 in Dallas County, just north of Holly Springs. The agent initiated a second traffic stop, during which Truelove presented an Ouachita County Sheriff’s badge and identification card.
Inside the vehicle, the agent found an in-car radio broadcasting on the Ouachita County frequency, a handheld radio programmed to the same frequency, a bulletproof vest marked “sheriff” and other law enforcement-related equipment.
Truelove was arrested and transported to the Ouachita County Detention Center. He appeared in Ouachita County Circuit Court on Monday, where bond was set at 0,000, ASP said.
Investigators executed a search warrant on the Tahoe and removed several blue lights, a siren and law enforcement radios.
Arkansas State Police asks anyone who may have encountered Truelove or the vehicle to contact ASP Troop F at (870) 226-3713. The investigation remains ongoing.
