Florida Man Arrested For Pretending to be a Cop to Get Discounted Dunkin' Donuts

A Florida man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after his grand scheme to score cheap donuts was blown up. The man's scheme involved flashing a police badge at the drive-thru employee so she could give him donuts at a discount. He also allegedly flashed a piece, but not...

By Chris Joseph

November 13, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

A Florida man was arrested for impersonating a police officer after his grand scheme to score cheap donuts was blown up.

The man's scheme involved flashing a police badge at the drive-thru employee so she could give him donuts at a discount.

He also allegedly flashed a piece, but not menacingly. Just to prove that he was totally a for-real cop, and not at all just some guy who refused to pay full price for donuts.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, the man, Charles Barry, drove to the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru located on on State Road 54. He showed the employee his badge, which read "Morris County" on it, and then asked for a discount on his donuts.

It was the perfect crime!

Maybe a little too perfect. Because apparently Barry didn't just leave it there. Perhaps from feeling the rush of pulling off such a heist, or maybe because he's just a guy knows no other way to live than on the edge, Barry went back to the same Dunkin' Donuts a second time for more cheap donuts.

Barry returned to the drive-thru the following day. But the employee was a tad suspicious, what with a guy claiming to be a police officer by showing her his gun. So she told her manager about it.

The manager was able to take down Barry's license plate number from the store's surveillance camera. He then reported it to the cops.

Pasco County deputies were able to track down Barry. Turns out, he got the badge and gun from his father, was a cap in New Jersey. There is no Morris County in Florida. There is one, however, in New Jersey.

MORE: Sheriff says cop impersonator at #dunkindonuts showed badge & gun. Badge from his dad, who was a cop in NJ pic.twitter.com/ngRqCjSifZ
— Kristin Wright FOX13 (@kwrightfox13) November 13, 2013

Deputies confiscated the badge and arrested Barry on impersonating a law enforcement officer charges.

Here's a lesson for you kids out there. If you can't serve the time, don't do the crime. Also, don't be such a goddamn tightwad and pay full price for your donuts!

Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph.

Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter

Follow @NewTimesBroward

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.