Warren man charged with impersonating police officer impersonating police officer

Staff report

WARREN

Solomon D. Cindea, 28, of Stiles Street Northwest, has been charged with impersonating a police officer, accused of using a police badge to persuade a store clerk to sell him gift cards with someone else’s personal check.

Warren police say Cindea showed the clerk the badge at Sheetz, 3379 Elm Road NE, at 1:50 a.m. Friday. A Warren police officer came into the store just afterward and followed Cindea out to the parking lot, where he asked Cindea if he had a badge, and Cindea said he did.

The badge was for a corrections officer at the Portage County Sheriff’s Office. Cindea does not work in law enforcement and has a police record. Officers also discovered a crack pipe in Cindea’s jacket pocket and a book of checks in his pants pocket belonging to a Warren attorney. The attorney later told police the checks were stolen.

In addition to the felony impersonating charge, Cindea is charged with felony forgery and misdemeanor possessing drug paraphernalia.