Bunnell man charged with impersonating police after claiming to be cop for Wendy's discount
A Bunnell man had been flashing a badge and claiming a law enforcement discount at a Wendy’s, but there was a problem: He was not a police officer, according to a charging affidavit.
Jesse David Stover, 57, was charged Monday with falsely impersonating an officer, a felony, by claiming to be a police officer or a federal agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a press release and charging affidavit.
Stover was released from the Flagler County Jail Monday after posting a $2,500 bond.
Stover had been requesting and receiving the discount for more than two years at the Wendy’s on Commerce Parkway, a press release stated. The discount is 50%, according to police.
But when he requested the discount on Monday, the manager, Jamie Davis, said he was not getting one, according to an affidavit. The manager then asked Stover for his law enforcement identification.
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Stover took out his wallet, flashed a badge and again demanded a discount, according to a press release.
The manager then asked for a closer look at the badge, a charging affidavit stated. That’s when an argument started.
The manager asked Stover if he was a police officer, why was he so argumentative about showing his badge, an affidavit stated.
Stover then said he was not a police officer but worked for the DEA.
Suspect became defensive when Wendy's manager asked to see badge again
When the manager asked to see the badge again, Stover said he didn’t have to show it to her and became argumentative and defensive, the affidavit stated.
Police responded to the restaurant. Stover told deputies that he usually gets a discount because he is friends with the cashier and he denied ever saying he was a police officer or currently employed with the DEA, according to an affidavit.
Stover admitted that he had a “concealed carry badge” in his wallet and that he had shown it to an employee who requested to see it, the affidavit said.
Stover said he had been a police officer a while back but had been fired due to being an alcoholic, the affidavit stated.
Stover was arrested and during a search police found a gold-colored badge with the words “Concealed Weapon Permit,” the release stated.
Stover told police that he works flipping homes and was a former DEA agent, the affidavit stated.
The badge was similar to a law enforcement style badge and “could easily be confused with one,” by someone unfamiliar with police badges, the affidavit stated.
The manager, Davis, said that Stover had been a regular customer for more than two years, the affidavit stated. The manager said that Stover was friends with a cashier who would frequently give him discounts but those discounts ended when the cashier left the job, the affidavit stated.
Davis said that’s when Stover started saying he was a police officer or worked undercover for the DEA to try to defraud the business, the affidavit stated.
Davis said that she had witnessed Stover on several occasions flashing a gold badge and telling workers that he does not wear a typical law enforcement uniform because he works undercover for the DEA, the affidavit stated.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Bunnell man accused of claiming to be police for Wendy's discount
