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BEVERLY |
An 18-year-old West Mansfield resident with a juvenile record and adult record of lying and impersonating first responders was arrested by Union County Sheriff’s deputies for showing up at Marysville Fire Department emergency calls identifying himself as a volunteer firefighter.
Tony L. Beverly, 18, was taken into custody on a Logan County warrant around noon Sunday when he was spotted walking on U.S. Route 36 near Whitestone Road. Saturday, the Marysville Fire Department responded to an emergency call at the New Dover Mobile Home Park in the 11000 block of U.S. 36.
Firefighters found him inside the home with the patient. Beverly identified himself as a volunteer firefighter with Bokescreek Fire Department in West Mansfield. He was wearing firefighter pants and a fire department pager with him.
Marysville firefighters alerted sheriff’s deputies and they learned Beverly was terminated from Bokescreek in 2016.
Beverly was in possession of firefighting turn out gear allegedly stolen from a break-in at the Bokescreek department.
He has been charged in Union County with misdemeanor counts of impersonating a firefighter and misconduct at an emergency.
Logan County Sheriff’s deputies were notified Thursday that turnout gear, a helmet and a pager for departments in Logan, Union and Champaign counties were missing from the Bokescreek station.
There was no evidence of forced entry to the station, but a rear door was found unlocked. A social media photo posting of Beverly had the helmet in the background which led deputies to suspect him of burglary to the department.
Meanwhile, Union County deputies had put out a bulletin to area departments warning firefighters to be on the lookout for the imposter. The bulletin helped lead to Beverly’s apprehension.
According to Examiner archives, Beverly’s run-ins with the law date back to 2014 when as a 14-year-old, he and an 11-year-old girl ran away from home. He was charged with delinquency disorderly conduct.
In June 2015, he was charged with delinquency unauthorized use of a motor vehicle when he took a neighbor’s vehicle.
He was charged about year a later with delinquency making a false alarm when he called in a fake house fire.
By Febuary 2017, he was charged with delinquency domestic violence for pushing a 63-year-old woman who was his guardian. Later in May, Beverly was charged with delinquency falsification for lying about a burglary and was lodged on a probation violation.
Jan. 1, Beverly was charged with impersonating a peace officer after he attempted to make a traffic stop near County Road 5 and State Route 540.
His last run-in was April 5, when he was charged with unlawful sexual conduct with a minor relating to allegations that he was engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.