Photo provided by Kaysville Police Department
KAYSVILLE, Utah — Police in Kaysville and deputies from the United States Marshals Service arrested a man accused of impersonating a federal officer, and want to know if there are more victims.
According to the Kaysville Police Department, officers and deputies arrested Jacob Thompson, 39, on federal charges. They included accusations of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm as a felon.
Police say Thompson drove a black 2013 Dodge Durango equipped with red and blue police lights.
The department released photos and a description of Thompson, asking anyone who encountered him in that capacity to contact Kaysville police at 801-546-1131.
They describe Thompson as standing 6 foot 1, weighing 185 pounds, with brown hair.
Police learned about Thompson’s alleged impersonation in the course of investigating a domestic dispute.
“Contact was made with THOMPSON’s girlfriend… [who] handed officers a US Marshal badge and a DEA special agent badge, both of which were attached to leather belt holders. Both badges appeared to be authentic until closer inspection such as missing badge numbers typically engraved on the backsides,” Deputy US Marshal Tyler Davis wrote in the criminal complaint.
According to the criminal complaint, Thompson’s girlfriend told officers he claimed to be a US Marshal who previously switched to the agency from the Drug Enforcement Administration. She also told them he sometimes walked through their apartment complex wearing the Marshal’s badge and body armor.
Davis writes in the criminal complaint officers also found guns and body armor to back up the girlfriend’s account.
“In addition, also in the kitchen area, were two functioning custom AR-15s without serial numbers [that] appear to be shorter barrel lengths than allowed by law,” the criminal complaint continued. “A custom-built handgun was also located without a serial number. Additional facsimile items such as silencers flash-bangs, etc. were found. Officers requested of [sic] a copy of THOMPSON’s criminal history. THOMPSON’s history shows at least 4 felony convictions which prohibits his ability to possess firearms.”
If convicted of impersonating a federal officer, Thompson potentially faces punishment of up to three years in prison along with possible fines. However, possessing a firearm as a felon is a class D felony in the United States. Under US sentencing guidelines, someone found guilty of possessing a firearm as a felon could face up to ten years in prison, three years of supervised release, and as much as $250,000 in fines. The average sentence for that conviction was between 3.8 and 6.25 years.