ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A St. Pete man was arrested after the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office says he pretended to be a police officer and put his neighbor in handcuffs over loud music.
Around 8:50 p.m. on May 3, John Thomas Switzer, 67, confronted his neighbor about the volume of her music while armed with a handgun, according to an arrest affidavit.
Deputies say he displayed a badge and told his neighbor "I am a police officer. I can arrest you at any time."
When the neighbor refused to turn down her music, the sheriff's office says Switzer restrained her hands behind her back and put her in handcuffs.
Multiple people observed the altercation, according to the arrest affidavit.
Deputies say Switzer told them his neighbor was "being boisterous" and "talking loudly" after he admitted to handcuffing her. He also admitted to telling his neighbor he was a police officer and then recanted and said he told her he was a former law enforcement officer, according to the arrest report.
Switzer is facing charges of falsely impersonating an officer and false imprisonment.
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