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PD: OSHP cadet impersonated officer, pointed gun at woman

Posted at 11:22 AM, Sep 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-22 18:13:18-04

CINCINNATI -- An Ohio State Highway Patrol cadet is accused of impersonating a police officer, pointing a gun at a woman and stealing her cellphone, according to court documents.

Gregory Payne, 22, approached a woman on Sept. 10 while wearing an Ohio State Highway Patrol uniform and told her “if he had his patrol car he would take her to jail,” court documents say. 

He then pointed a semi-automatic handgun at the woman, ripped her cellphone from her hands and ran off.

Police arrested Payne Thursday. He faces charges of impersonating a peace officer or private police officer and aggravated robbery.

Payne was set to graduate from the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy, according to records. He was also an explorer with the Cincinnati Police Department several years ago.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol did not comment Friday, other than to confirm that Payne is a cadet. It is not yet clear whether Payne has resigned. 

Payne’s attorney, Carl Lewis, said Payne denies the charges. According to Lewis, Payne said he was wearing a cadet T-shirt while he was asking people to leave property that his parents recently bought.