Registered sex offender accused of impersonating officer for second time in two months

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A man will soon find himself back behind bars after officials said he was impersonating a law enforcement officer by his attire and actions during a funeral escort.

Details of 39-year-old Jeremy Dewitte’s latest arrest by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office weren’t immediately available. 9 Investigates learned he was arrested for another incident last month in Windermere, where officials said he was wearing a shirt with a police badge, a bullet-restraint vest and a helmet with a police-like badge while he worked a funeral procession.

Police said he was also equipped with a fully equipped belt containing a BB gun that resembled a real gun, pepper spray, a baton, handcuffs, pocketknives and a two-way radio

Police said Dewitte is a registered sex offender and not allowed to carry a firearm.

Dewitte, who runs Metro State Vehicle Protection Services, told Channel 9's cameras, "These guys, since 2014, have been harassing us," as he was escorted into the jail.

The Department of Corrections has records of Dewitte's 2001 conviction for a similar charge of impersonating an officer, along with records of a 2005 sex offense of lewd acts with a minor under the age of 15.

According to a 2018 affidavit, a woman accused him of impersonating an officer after he allegedly told her on a date that he "needed to put his gun in his Metro State company car" and that he was "working with local law enforcement."

Officials have not released the details of his most recent arrest.