A 37-year-old city man was arrested Thursday and charged with impersonating a police officer and sexually assaulting a woman, according to Baltimore County police.
Dennis McLaughlin Jr. of the 6100 block of Parkway Drive was charged with fourth-degree sex offense, false imprisonment and impersonating an officer.
Police said a man driving a silver Jeep Liberty at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday pulled behind a 25-year-old woman driving with a friend in the 800 block of Mockingbird Lane in Towson, flashed blue lights and ordered her to pull over. The man approached the woman's car and identified himself as a Baltimore police officer, according to county police.
The man then asked the victim for her identification and ordered the friend to leave the area, police said. He told the woman that he was running a check for warrants, and that if she did not want a fine, she could perform a sexual act, according to police. When the woman declined, the man began fondling the victim, who broke free and left the Jeep, police said.
The victim left the area and called police, giving officers a description of the vehicle and partial tag information. Police found the vehicle in front of McLaughlin's residence, and he was arrested.
McLaughlin, a registered child sex offender, was being held at Baltimore County Detention Center in lieu of $350,000 bond. Police believe there may be other victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the department at 410-887-2361 or 410-307-2020.
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