SHELTON — A 22-year-old Shelton man accused of impersonating a police officer and harassing a victim with a 10-month-old daughter pleaded not guilty to first-degree criminal impersonation of a police officer on Monday.
David Jo McLuke Joseph was arraigned before in Mason County Superior Court on the impersonation charge and a lesser charge of harassment.
Judge Monty Cobb set Joseph’s trial date for Aug. 6. Cobb, who had ordered Joseph not come in contact with the victim, also ordered that Joseph make no contact with the 10-month-old child.
Joseph has been in Mason County Jail since Shelton Police Department arrested him June 26. He is being held on $15,000 bail.
According to an incident report filed by Shelton Police Department, Joseph was impersonating an officer to leverage power over a former girlfriend and her child.
The alleged victim provided screen shots of texts from Joseph to a Shelton police investigator, including a text that shows him parked side by side with a Shelton police officer with a caption stating, “We out here doing some police sh—… traffic.”
In another text, police said Joseph tells his former girlfriend his is doing “police stuff” so he will patrol her house before leaving the area. Police said Joseph also asked for the woman’s address, saying he needed it for “law enforcement purposes.” He allegedly told the woman he had worked for Shelton Police Department for some time.”
The Shelton police report also states that the victim was in fear of Joseph taking her 10-month-old daughter, which he claimed was his, but was not.
Joseph was reportedly driving a black Ford Crown Victoria with several antennas, a prisoner cage and a reinforced “push-bumper” on the front, police said.
The vehicle looks like an unmarked police cruiser but was not associated with any law enforcement agency, police said. The cruiser had a type of siren or public address system installed.
