SEFFNER, Fla. — A Riverview man is behind bars after Florida Highway Patrol troopers said they caught him driving an SUV outfitted like an official law enforcement vehicle and had fake police badges in his possession.
FHP said in an affidavit its investigation began just after 3:30 p.m. Monday along Interstate 4 eastbound in Seffner. The trooper stated he saw a black Cadillac SUV that had "unusual and suspicious features" — what appeared to be emergency lights mounted on the rear window and a probable dash camera mounted on the windshield.
The trooper noted the side windows appeared to be tinted darker than the legal limit. The trooper added in the affidavit his suspicions about the SUV led him to run the SUV's license plate, which revealed the vehicle belonged to a Florida rental company.
The license plate had also been flagged back in April as potentially one being used to impersonate law enforcement.
These factors led the trooper to pull the driver over. That's when the trooper made contact with 37-year-old Conroy Traille — only after he had to ask Traille several times to roll down his windows, the affidavit noted.
The trooper said once the windows were down, he could clearly see Traille and a young girl, later determined to be Traille's 3-year-old daughter inside. Along with both Traille and his daughter inside the SUV, the trooper said he could see emergency lights mounted in the front window, a computer stand with a laptop on it and "other police-related accessories."
Traille reportedly "immediately" asked why he was pulled over. The trooper said he told Traille it was due in part to having too-dark tinted windows and that he had been following another car too closely.
Traille couldn't provide any insurance, registration or rental agreement for the SUV, and told the trooper he had gotten it from a friend, according to the affidavit.
Eventually, the trooper asked Traille to get out of the SUV, who eventually complied after the trooper reportedly "encouraged him to bring his daughter and cell phone with him."
The trooper called for backup and a K-9 unit arrived. K-9 Titan did a "free-air sniff" around the SUV and alerted his partner to the possibility of drugs inside. FHP said they found marijuana, white powder in several plastic bags, and a brown paper bag containing 21 pills identified as oxycodone and acetaminophen.
A gun was also found in the car in a holster. FHP stated when asked Traille said he had a weapon inside the SUV. He did have a concealed carry permit, but it had expired in February, troopers said.
Troopers said they found two badges on "police-style lanyards" inside a handbag on the front passenger floorboard. The badges said "law enforcement" and had the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal and "federal officer" written.
The SUV was further outfitted with police-like equipment including a body camera, ceiling-mounted dome light, dash camera, siren control panel and a siren under the hood.
Traille was then arrested on charges including false personation, unlawful use of blue light, drug possession and drug possession intended for trafficking.
Traille's daughter was turned over to his girlfriend.