Cortez
Palmview police arrested an 18-year-old Mission man early Friday morning who allegedly pretended to be a police officer and tried to conduct a traffic stop.
Jose Arturo Cortez was charged with impersonating a police officer.
A probable cause affidavit for his arrest said police caught up with Cortez about 12:10 a.m. Friday after receiving a report from a woman who said someone in a gray Jeep Renegade with flashing red-and-blue lights signaled her to stop while she drove north on La Homa Road and Expressway 83.
She saw the vehicle’s “red and blue lights and was told to stop, but (she) stated to Corporal Martinez that she was waiting to see if the vehicle … would activate the wailing audible siren,” the affidavit said.
That never happened, police say.
Instead she continued driving away while Palmview police caught up with the Jeep Renegade, which had temporary dealer tags and lights on the front windshield, according to the affidavit.
Police then pulled Cortez over for failing to signal a turn within 100 feet.
The affidavit said the officer saw a set of strobe-like lights and arrested Cortez for failing to provide financial responsibility.
During an interview after his arrest, police say Cortez admitted to trying to pull a vehicle over.
He was booked into the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center on Saturday and bailed out on Sunday on a $5,000 bond, jail records indicate.
