MARION COUNTY, Fla. – A 52-year-old man faces multiple charges after he impersonated a U.S. Marshal, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
According to a news release, on Monday around 5:15 p.m. a deputy was at the Marathon gas station near South Highway 301 and SE Highway 42 when he “heard an unfamiliar emergency siren and observed a black pickup truck, equipped with flashing red and blue emergency lights, driving around cars and through a red light.”
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Deputies said due to the unusual sound of the siren and the fact that there were no calls for service that would require such a response from law enforcement at that time, a traffic stop was conducted.
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According to the release, when deputies approached the vehicle, the driver – identified as Derry Wayne Lambert – was wearing a hat with the lettering that read “Police U.S. Marshal” and a Department of Justice seal. Lambert also displayed a badge and said he was a U.S. Marshal, deputies said.
Lambert said he was responding to a shooting in Marion Oaks, but there were no reported shootings in the area, deputies said.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office posted video of the traffic stop on their Facebook page, and it showed them trying to verify Lambert’s story.
At one point, deputies contacted the U.S. Marshal Liaison, who responded to interview Lambert at the scene.
“I normally just do raids,” Lambert can be heard telling the U.S. Marshal. “All I do is raids.”
“During the interview, Lambert provided inconsistent information, and it became apparent that Lambert was falsely impersonating a U.S. Marshal,” the release read in part.
Deputies said when they searched Lambert’s vehicle, they discovered he had a full control panel for emergency sirens and lights, as well as a firearm.
Lambert was arrested and transported to the Marion County jail, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to the release, while at the jail, a detention deputy found several Diazepam pills in a concealed compartment inside Lambert’s wallet.
Marion County jail records show that Lambert posted bond and was released early Wednesday morning.
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