There's acting like you belong, and then there's the act put on by Chad Michael Gosney, who is accused of trying to impersonate his way into obtaining an inmate's early release from the Jefferson County jail on Thursday.
Gosney, who is not a police officer, showed up the jail in Hilsboro and "claimed to be an officer picking up an inmate," the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said in a statement posted to Facebook.
"We let him in," the statement continued, "closed the door, and arrested him."
Gosney, now in jail on a $10,000 bond, faces a single charge of false impersonation, a misdemeanor. However, while Gosney's plan involved freeing a specific inmate, the sheriff's office believes that Gosney acted on his own, writing in its Facebook post, "We do not believe the inmate he was asking for was aware of the attempt to get him out."
The other variable in the incident, perhaps unsurprisingly, is alcohol. Sheriff Dave Marshak addressed Gosney's arrest on Twitter on Friday, writing, "What happens when you (allegedly) show up to @JeffCoMoSheriff jail sally port intoxicated and claim to be an officer picking up an inmate? We let you in, close the door and arrest you."
In his tweet, Marshak thanked the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Trisha Stefanski for the "quick response" that's led to the charge now pending against Gosney.
For her part, Stefanski was duly impressed, tweeting, "It has been a crazy week in Jeffco!"
What happens when you (allegedly) show up to @JeffCoMoSheriff jail sally port intoxicated and claim to be an officer picking up an inmate? We let you in, close the door and arrest you. Thank you to the Judge and our Prosecutor @JeffcoMoPA @StefanskiPA for a quick response. pic.twitter.com/ip7H770Vrh
— Sheriff Dave Marshak (@SheriffMarshak) January 28, 2022
Follow Danny Wicentowski on Twitter at @D_Towski. E-mail the author at [email protected]
