Fake cop who formed group that handcuffed people and held teens at gunpoint gets 5 years’ probation

Jeffrey Jones, 29, was the first of five people to be sentenced Monday and got off with five years probation in a plea deal

A Michigan man who was part of a fake law enforcement team that held teenagers at gunpoint and handcuffed people has been given five years’ probation after striking a plea deal.

Flint man Jeffrey Jones, 29, was the first of five people to be sentenced Monday and got off with the light punishment after the prosecutor ultimately thought the crew was trying to do the right thing.

Emily Burrison, 27, Willie Strong, Austin Erwin, and Auston Rose also faked their positions of authority since 2015, before being caught in September 2017, according to ABC12.

Their streak ended after a complaint came in about rude rangers at the Stepping Stone Falls and Picnic Area to real Genesee County Parks police Chief Kevin Shanlian.

He thinks there could have been hundreds of people who had a bad experience with them.

The rest of the group is expecting to hear their fate soon but after pleading guilty it’s believed they’ll receive a similar sentence to what is usually a four-year felony.

The Michigan man who was part of a fake law enforcement team that held teenagers at gunpoint and handcuffed people

The Michigan man who was part of a fake law enforcement team that held teenagers at gunpoint and handcuffed people

It's believed the group and possibly five more people could have had bad experiences with hundreds of other members of the community

It’s believed the group and possibly five more people could have had bad experiences with hundreds of other members of the community

‘I find the charges extremely disturbing,’ Mlive.com reports Judge Celeste Bell said. ‘Taking the law into your own hands the way these charges have read – taking people in custody, armed in Genesee County parks — I’m extremely offended by that behavior. However, out of respect for the prosecutor’s office and if they wish to resolve the cases in this fashion, I’m going to adopt that recommendation.’

Aside from probation, Jones has been ordered to return the fake uniforms, badges and emergency lights used on his vehicle when he was part of the Genesee County Fire and EMS Media-Genesee County Task Force Blight Agency created in 2015.

The five people, and possibly up to five others, fooled police and firefighters when they responded to 911 calls too.

Emily Burrison, 27, (left) joined the fake cop squad for three years in the area

Emily Burrison, 27, (left) joined the fake cop squad for three years in the area

Emily Burrison, 27, (left) joined the fake cop squad for three years in the area 

She along with other members in the group donned a fake uniform and used handcuffs

She along with other members in the group donned a fake uniform and used handcuffs

Jones received credit for spending 119 days behind bars and said sorry for his behaviour at Genesee County Circuit Court.

‘I’d just like to apologize. I know I made bad choices and I’d just like to ask for a second chance,’ he told onlookers. ‘I promise this will not happen again. I let my family down when I got involved in this. I let a lot of people down.’

Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton had previously said the group was simply ‘very misguided’ and that he believes they ‘were trying to help the community’.

However, during the incident that resulted in them being found out, the ‘arrested’ visitors to a park for trespassing during closing hours. It was untrue and the park was in fact open.

Auston Rose (left) and ring-leader Willie Strong (right) are due to hear their fate soon

Auston Rose (left) and ring-leader Willie Strong (right) are due to hear their fate soon

Fake policemen Auston Rose (left) and Willie Strong (right) are due to hear their fate soon

Jones has been told to hand his badge, uniform, and car emergency lights in and it's expected the others will be asked to do the same in their plea deals

Jones has been told to hand his badge, uniform, and car emergency lights in and it’s expected the others will be asked to do the same in their plea deals

The fake law enforcement team also worrying took information from people’s driver’s licences and recorded personal information on their laptops.

They reportedly scared members of the community by telling them they were being put on criminal watch lists.

On one occasion they tried to enter the scene of a house fire but were not given access by a real officer.

Perhaps the worst case though was when the group of men and women wielded guns in the direction of teenagers who had broken into Flint Central High School.

Prosecutor Leyton had previously said: ‘To me, this is serious stuff. You can’t run around pretending to be law enforcement. I don’t know what these people were thinking.’ 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk