A Falls Township woman was arrested after she allegedly impersonated a sheriff’s deputy and resisted arrest at a Wawa convenience store.
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Bristol Township police were dispatched to the Wawa at the intersection of New Falls Road and Wistar Road around 8:15 a.m. last Saturday following a report of a woman wandering the property with an object resembling a badge around her neck, according to court papers.
By the time officers arrived, the 44-year-old woman had left the location.
At approximately 9:07 a.m., Wawa management called police again after the woman returned. A manager requested that police identify the woman to issue a trespass notice and move her off the property, police said.
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When officers arrived, they found the woman seated in front of the store using an outdoor electrical outlet.
Police said they informed her that using the store’s electricity without permission was considered theft, but she denied it. Officers told her to leave the premises or face arrest for trespassing.
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The woman was wearing a necklace with an official patch from the Bucks County Sheriff’s Office, police said.
An officer noted the 44-year-old woman claimed she was “undercover” when questioned about the patch, police said.
Officers informed the woman that impersonating a member of law enforcement is a misdemeanor under Pennsylvania law. They told her she would not be charged if she surrendered the patch, police said.
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In response, the woman allegedly stood up, removed the patch, shoved it down her pants, and said, “There, how about that.”
At that point, officers informed the woman she was under arrest.
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When officers attempted to handcuff her, she resisted, pulling her arms away and shouting to patrons nearby for help. She falsely claimed that male officers were not allowed to arrest a female, police said.
After a struggle, officers managed to handcuff the woman and place her in the back of a police vehicle.
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The woman was charged with impersonating a public servant, resisting arrest, defiant trespassing, and theft of services. She was arraigned before an on-call district judge, and her bail was set at a nonmonetary figure.
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