A federal jury has convicted a Westerville man accused of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent and making an illegal arrest, a case stemming from incidents beginning in 2023.
Brendan Conklin, 45, pretended to be a federal officer and unlawfully detained, searched and arrested a victim, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio. The jury delivered its verdict May 6 in Columbus after a nearly two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley.
According to the news release, which cited court documents and trial testimony, Conklin was driving a former police SUV with police lights in December 2023, when he unlawfully pulled over and pointed a gun at a motorist who had just left her Westerville home with her underage child.
Wearing a vest with various badges and insignias, Conklin identified himself as a federal officer, according to the release. He also had an illegal license plate registered to the Columbus police headquarters.
Conklin searched, detained and eventually handcuffed the victim, placing her in his vehicle, according to the release. He then accidentally locked himself out of the vehicle with the victim still inside and had to get Blendon Township police to let her out.
He then called Columbus police to ask about a warrant with them before telling the woman it was her “lucky day” and letting her go, according to the news release.
Conklin faced similar charges in January 2024, after Franklin County prosecutors accused him of having fictitious plates on his SUV, modified to look like a police vehicle with flashing red and blue lights, siren, dash camera and a mounted shotgun. At the time, Westerville police Lt. Justin Alloway told The Dispatch: “It was better equipped than some police cruisers I’ve seen.”
Those charges were dismissed Feb. 21, 2024, and Conklin filed to have his record expunged.
What was the Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Program?
Conklin previously registered the Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Program as a nonprofit organization using Columbus police headquarters as its address.
Its goal was to the “pursuit, location, and apprehension of individuals who have evaded the judicial process … within the framework of legal and regulatory guidelines to ensure the safe and effective apprehension of fugitives,” according to its website in 2024.
Authorities would later investigate the program, which had no affiliation with the U.S. Marshals Service Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, and search Conklin’s computer, alleging that in the spring of 2023, he searched “how to determine if a us marshal is legit,” “us marshals fugitive task force badge” and “fake federal license plate.”
A federal grand jury indicted Conklin in January.
Impersonating a federal officer and conducting illegal arrests are federal crimes punishable by up to three years in prison. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
Reporter Dean Narciso can be reached at dnarciso@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Westerville man convicted of impersonating officer, unlawful arrests
Reporting by Dean Narciso, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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