Sandy MaloneKnoxville, TN – Police arrested a man who broke into a Knoxville police officer’s house on Thursday, dressed up in the officer’s tactical gear and used the police radio.
Police responded to the officer’s home at about 11:25 p.m. on Dec. 23 because the officer wasn’t home and somebody inside the house had used his police radio, WVLT reported.
Nobody was supposed to be in the home at the time.
The police report said that when officer arrived at the home, they found 51-year-old Dewayne Miller wearing the officer’s Knoxville Police Department uniform, WVLT reported.
Police officials said that Miller had also donned the officer’s tactical ballistic vest and all his law enforcement gear, including the officer’s fully-loaded duty weapon.
The police report said that Miller was also carrying $1,500 in cash that he had stolen from the officer’s wallet, WVLT reported.
He told officers on the scene that he was also in law enforcement and was on his way to work.
Officers took Miller into custody, according to WVLT.
After he had been arrested, Miller confessed that he had taken an Uber to the Knoxville officer’s house, according to the police report.
He told police that he got into the officer’s police car and took his police gear, WVLT reported.
Miller said that was where he found the garage door opener that he used to get into the officer’s house.
“It was clear he had planned on leaving the house in possession of all the listed items, totaling an approximate value of $9,796,” police officials said.
The police report said officers believed Miller had planned to take all of the police gear from the home and then steal the police vehicle parked outside, WVLT reported.
Officials said that all of the police items had been recovered at the scene and were accounted for.
Miller has been charged with aggravated burglary, burglary, criminal impersonation of law enforcement, possession of firearm with intent to go armed, and theft, WVLT reported.
Holly Matkin
