Uniontown man charged with impersonating state police in dispatches
A Uniontown man was arrested for allegedly impersonating state police on a Fayette County Emergency Management radio frequency in 21 transmissions last weekend.
Thursday was the second time Jonathan Michael Campbell, 27, of Evans Street was charged with impersonating a public servant.
In 2014, he was charged by state police after claiming to be a U.S. Army veteran while wearing an Air Force uniform at Laurel Highlands Middle School, saying he wanted to talk to students about Veterans Day. He never served in the military. His case was transferred to mental health court.
In the new case, Campbell allegedly made radio transmissions throughout the day last Saturday and several times last Sunday. He reportedly made several requests for dispatchers to repeat transmissions and addresses, asked “all units” to respond to a fire in Luzerne Township and said he was on the way to an address where police were called, according to court documents.
Uniontown City Police and a Federal Communications Commission agent contacted Campbell Thursday. Without prompting on a phone call with an officer, he reportedly asked “This is about the radio, isn’t it?”
He reportedly handed over the radio, apologized and said he wouldn’t do it again. He said he did not want to go back to jail, according to the affidavit of probable cause filed in his case.
Campbell is charged with two counts each of false alarm to agency of public safety and risking catastrophe, five counts of impersonating a public servant and one count each of criminal use of a communication facility and possession of an instrument of crime with intent.
He was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Michael M. Metros, who set bail at $5,000. Campbell remains in Fayette County Prison.