A volunteer bishop with the NYPD is accused of impersonating a police officer when he was pulled over for allegedly passing other drivers, tailgating and cutting from one side of the highway to another in Connecticut Wednesday evening, police say.
State police said they received several 911 calls about a Nissan SUV from New York that had emergency lights on near exit 3 of Interstate 95 North in Greenwich just after 6:45 p.m.
The driver, identified as 47-year-old Popeye Whittingham of Harlem then passed state troopers who were dealing with separate crashes on I-95 North at exit 17, state police said.
State police stopped Wittingham and found the car registration expired. Whittingham led state police to believe he was a New York City police officer and showed a detective badge, according to Connecticut state police.
When police investigated further, they said they learned that Whittingham is a volunteer bishop with the 32nd precinct and has no police powers.
They said he also has several aliases and an arrest history that includes criminal attempt to commit murder and weapons violations charges in New York State.
He was arrested on charges of reckless driving, impersonation of a police officer and other charges.
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He posted $2,500 bond and is due in court in Norwalk on May 3.
