Sheriff’s Police in Edgar County say a Terre Haute man faces multiple charges after he showed up at the county jail Saturday (February 17, 2018) wearing body armor and claimed he was a federal agent from the Department of Defense. Police say they had some information about 45-year-old Justin Hefner, and they noticed that he was wearing a gun and holster and also had handcuffs and mace.
Two Edgar County Deputies were able to take custody of Hefner along with help from Paris Police without anyone being hurt. ‘’We kind of made him think he was one of us,’’ said Deputy Dee Burgin, ‘’so we could get him into a locked area’’, Deputy Burgin told VermilionCountyFirst.com News. The officers convinced Hefner to enter a secure area inside the jail where he was taken into custody.
Police say Hefner had made statements on social media that he was going to arrest several local officials. Police found an AR-15 and a fully-loaded magazine with 100 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. They say the AR-15 had been modified to allow rapid fire. They also found a list of people in the vehicle Hefner was allegedly planning to take into custody. Deputy Burgen says one of the names on the list was his.
Sheriff’s Police say Hefner was jailed on preliminary charges of impersonating a public official, unlawful possession of body armor, and unlawful use of weapons. Edgar County Sheriff’s Police say Hefner’s vehicle was equipped with emergency flashing lights – such as those used by police. They also found a security badge on a sun visor in the vehicle. And they say the vehicle was also equipped with a police style video camera on its dash.
