Ex-security guard charged with pretending to be cop, stealing $400 from driver
NORTH CHARLESTON SC Jan 15, 2022 — Police charged a former security guard with pretending to be a cop after a car crash in July, when he threatened to send the other driver to jail and took $400.
North Charleston police officers charged Edward Billy Bennett, 50, of Summerville, on Jan. 11 with two felonies: kidnapping and armed robbery with a deadly weapon. He was also charged with a misdemeanor offense of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
If convicted of all charges, Bennett could face up to 30 years in prison.
Bennett and another person were involved in a car crash at Ashley Phosphate and Stall roads on July 16, according to an incident report. Police wrote the collision was minor, though they did not include further details about the crash in their initial report.
The driver thought Bennett wore clothes similar to those of an officer, including tactical pants and a polo shirt, according to the report. Bennett had an outline of a firearm at the small of his back, the driver said.
Bennett advised the driver to follow him to a nearby gas station after the crash, the driver said. Bennett then asked for the driver’s license and insurance, though the driver did not have a license. Bennett pulled out a wallet badge and threatened the driver with arrest for hitting a police vehicle, he said.
Bennett was not driving a police cruiser, nor was he with law enforcement, police said. Bennett is a former security guard with Trident Security, but his credentials were pulled after he failed to pay his property taxes and maintain his driver’s license, the report said.
Bennett told the driver it would cost $700 to fix the damage from the crash; the actual amount to fix damage from the collision was unclear. The driver said he did not have the money on him but had the money in the bank.
Police wrote Bennett said: “Let’s go get it.”
The driver paid Bennett $400 cash and said he would pay the remaining $300 at a later date, according to the report. Bennett gave the driver his phone number.
The driver provided police with a photo of the crash, two recorded phone conversations with the suspect and his receipt from the bank of his cash withdrawal.
Bennett was booked into the Charleston County jail on Jan. 11, but posted $125,000 in bail and was released that evening.
