Published: July 14, 2006 02:27 pm         

Man in road rage charged with impersonating officer

Warrant affidavit claims he pulled badge on policeman

A Crossville man who police say July 2 flashed a badge to a motorist he accused of driving badly and paid for his indiscretion with a punch in the nose from the woman now faces charges of impersonating a police officer.

David Anthony Garber, 38, 126 Jacob's Crossing off Myrtle Ave., faces two counts of criminal impersonation. He was arrested July 9 and later released under $500 bond and is to appear in Cumberland County General Sessions Court Monday to answer the two charges.

The affidavit on one warrant states that Garber's vehicle was involved in an accident with Crossville Police Sgt. Gary Green's private vehicle on May 28 when the officer was off-duty. The accident occurred on Hwy. 127 N in front of Movies for Sale.

Following the crash, Green states that Garber approached his vehicle, flashed a badge and instructed him to pull his vehicle onto the road and out of traffic. At that time, Green informed Garber he was a city police officer and knew what to do. Garber returned to his car and waited for a city police unit to investigate the accident.

Green stated he later learned Garber was not a sworn law enforcement officer and filed the warrant on July 9.

The second warrant refers to an altercation between Garber and Livingston Rd. resident Heather Davis.

On July 2 Crossville Police were dispatched to a Livingston Rd. address after a resident complained that a motorist had flashed a badge and represented himself as a police officer, Ptl. Ronnie Schubert wrote in his report.

When police arrived at Heather Davis' apartment, however, they could find no one home. About 30 minutes later police were dispatched to the McDonald's parking lot off N. Main St. on a report of a fight.

When units arrived they learned that Davis and David Anthony Garber had been in a verbal and physical altercation. The report states Garber was bleeding from the nose.

The only thing the two combatants agreed on was that the confrontation originated in the parking lot outside Davis' home. Their stories sharply contrasted after that.

Davis said that a man driving a green Ford Ranger pickup followed her home, exited his vehicle, and flashed a badge saying he was an off-duty police officer and was going to have to arrest her for reckless driving. Davis said she asked the man's name and he responded, "Officer Garber."

Garber told police that he followed the woman home after she "tried to run him off the road," Schubert wrote in his report. "Mr. Garber said that he stopped the female at her home to tell her to slow down and that she was driving reckless."

About 30 minutes later Davis and her aunt found the pickup parked outside McDonald's and confronted Garber. A woman with Garber allegedly assaulted Davis when she announced she was calling the police and a physical altercation then broke out between Davis and Garber.