Deputies: Man Armed with Hatchet Posed as Police Officer

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A 37-year-old homeless man faces a number of felony charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies say he posed as a cop and forced a woman inside a Gibsonton store.

The case against Roger Hastings began to unfold around 3 a.m. Monday when he is accused of approaching Kristin Nelson, 32, outside the Chevron at 10920 U.S. 41 S. Hastings told Nelson he was a police officer and escorted her inside the store, telling her she was going to jail, an email from the sheriff’s office stated.

Once inside the store, Nelson tried to leave, but Hastings prevented her from doing so, the email stated. Hastings, deputies say, kept his right hand on the front pocket of his jacket while telling the woman she couldn’t leave and that he was a police officer.

Sensing something amiss, a store clerk called the sheriff’s office. Deputies made it to the store before Hastings left.

When questioned, deputies say Hastings “spontaneously stated, ‘I did tell her I was the police,’ ” the email said.

When deputies searched Hastings, they found a black and silver hatchet in his jacket pocket.

Hastings was charged with false imprisonment, carrying a concealed weapon and falsely impersonating an officer during the commission of a felony. He was being held in the Hillsborough County Jail Monday in lieu of $10,000 bond. Deputies say Hastings has no known address.

Booking photo courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office