Man’s attempt at ‘volunteer security’ at Orange elementary school leads to arrest
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. September 7 2019 — A Durham man faces a charge of impersonating a law enforcement officer after he tried to patrol the halls of an Orange County elementary school wearing a black vest with the word “sheriff” on it.
Christopher Hill, 40, is not an employee of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, but his outfit made him look like one, deputies said.
Hill and his girlfriend, who has children enrolled at New Hope Elementary School, signed in as visitors at the school Wednesday morning. He got a visitor pass and was headed down a hall of classrooms when his outfit raised the suspicions of Assistant Principal Craig Dodson.
Dodson radioed the principal and the on-duty school resource officer, who, on his way to investigate, heard from two teachers that Hill told them he was providing volunteer security.
Hill was wearing tan tactical pants, a black polo shirt and a black vest. The back of the vest bore a “sheriff” patch, while the front of the vest had a patch with a skull on it that is the symbol of vigilante comic book character known as “The Punisher.”
The school resource officer called for backup and those deputies escorted Hill from the school and placed him under arrest.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood praised the cooperation between New Hope Principal Ambra Wilson the school resource officer.
“I happen to know how hard Principal Ambra Wilson and SRO Sparrow have worked day in and day out for the last several years to build trust within the New Hope School community. Today, someone threatened to undermine that trust by impersonating a law enforcement officer. Wilson and Sparrow shut that situation down immediately,” he said.
Hill did not have any weapons, and no student was threatened or injured during his visit. Classes proceeded on schedule.
Hill was being held at the Orange County Detention Center under a $500,000 bond.
WRAL
