Storden man sentenced for impersonating a peace officer in Wabasso

A Storden man was sentenced in Redwood County Court last week for impersonating a Minnesota State Patrol officer in Wabasso last year.

On the afternoon of July 22, a Redwood County Sheriff’s Office deputy was out on patrol on Highway 68, and noticed a vehicle parked in the parking lot of Jonti-Craft. The vehicle, a maroon Ford Taurus, was outfittted to appear as a marked Minnesota State Patrol car, complete with for small LET lights mounted on the front, and an LED light bar mounted on the roof.

In addition, the front license plate was tan, with a Minnesota State Patrol emblem on it. The rear of the Taurus had a regular Minnesota licence plate.

The deputy learned the vehicle was registered to Joseph Jefferson Rogers, age 59, of Storden, who has had previous encounters with genuine law officers about his vehicle and the illegal equipment on it.

The deputy initiated a traffic stop, and spoke with Rogers, who stated he’d always wanted to own a “cop car”. The deputy asked Rogers to activate the illegal lights mounted on the vehicle, and learned they all were in working condition. Rogers also stated he’d ordered the Minnesota Highway Patrol license plate online.

On Friday, July 16, Rogers was sentenced to 365 days in the Redwood County jail, with 365 days stayed, for the gross misdemeanor of impersonating a peace officer. He was also sentenced to two years supervised probation.