A man driving an SUV equipped to look like an unmarked police vehicle was arrested Saturday in Ross after he gave police fake documents that included a “United Nations driving permit,” Ross police said in a criminal complaint.
Ross police charged Zachary Jerry, no age available, of Pittsburgh with a misdemeanor count of impersonating a public servant and 16 other misdemeanor and summary charges.
In the criminal complaint, a Ross officer said he saw a black Ford Explorer with police-style antennas on the roof and no inspection stickers in the parking lot of a Giant Eagle on Brighton Road around 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The SUV had built-in lights on the front and rear, a light bar inside the back window and a laptop mounted inside, the complaint states. It had a “police interceptor” badge on the back with a “Lenapehoking State” registration of “CINE,” which police said is not a legitimate registration.
Stickers for the “MOR Moroccan Empire Autotravel Association” were displayed in several places around the vehicle, the complaint says.
Police stopped the vehicle for having an invalid registration plate shortly after it left the parking lot.
When asked for his license, registration and proof of insurance, police say the driver pulled out a book of information that contained a “United Nations driving permit” with the false name Floreous Cinefine Bey.
Police said the book contained other fictitious documents including a “MOR” automobile registration, a Lenapehoking certificate of title, and a Moroccan Empire bill of sale. No legitimate registration or insurance was inside, according to the complaint.
The vehicle’s identification number came back with no associated plate to a different person in Pennsylvania.
Police identified the driver as being a “sovereign citizen,” the complaint states. Sovereign citizens believe they are not subject to government laws, regulations or authority.
Police said the driver refused to answer questions, including if he ever had a driver’s license in any state and for his date of birth. The man did comply when police asked him to get out of the vehicle, the complaint states.
Police arrested the man after he refused to identify himself. He was initially charged as a John Doe, and later identified in court records as Jerry.
While the complaint says Jerry told officers he did not want to speak with anyone but his attorney, no attorney was listed in court records for Jerry.
In addition to impersonating a public servant, police charged Jerry with five counts of altered, forged or counterfeit documents; obstruction; false identification; and nine summary vehicle and driver offenses concerning title, registration, license and insurance.
Jerry was arraigned Sunday and being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $1,000 bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before District Judge Richard G. Opiela on April 8.