Shalimar man accused of impersonating officer previously warned by former employer

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — A Shalimar man now faces five charges: impersonate a police officerin Okaloosa County.

Deputies say 69-year-old Salvatore Gruny pulled over a vehicle on Miracle Strip Parkway on Monday using illegal lights mounted on his car. But the driver immediately became suspicious and called 911 when he realized Gruny wasn’t wearing a uniform and was armed.

Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said cases of police impersonation are rare. He said in this case there were numerous red flags near the suspect and the car he was driving.

Aden says Gruny was wearing jeans and a “New York City” T-shirt when he pulled over. Deputies say illegal lights were mounted on the front and rear of his car.

“You can buy almost anything online now,” Aden said. “So it’s pretty scary.”

Gruny’s arrest report states he pulled over and told the driver it was due to reckless driving. He identified himself as a government agent and presented the driver with a badge. The driver called 911.

When deputies arrived, Gruny told a deputy he worked for the Naval Criminal Investigative Services, but gave the deputy his Naval Intelligence Service badge instead.

NCIS said Gruny never worked for them. The Office of Naval Intelligence said Gruny had retired. The deputy also noticed that the badge and ID had been changed. The deputy then handcuffed Gruny.

“At this point the deputy disarms him and we then charge him with five felonies,” Aden said.

Gruny was taken to the Okaloosa County Jail.

Gruny’s former superiors at the Bureau of Naval Intelligence told investigators they had previously warned Gruny about such behavior, the arrest report states.

“All we have, what ONI is telling us, is that they have been warned about this type of behavior before,” Aden said. “We don’t have anything in our records, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it here, in this county in another jurisdiction, maybe in the city or somewhere else. We have no information one way or another. So this is the first thing we’re dealing with with this particular person.” “

“Our citizens are so familiar with what we use every day, they are also familiar with the uniform we have,” he said. “And if you see someone pulling you over, and they’re not in green and white, they’re not wearing blue lights, they’re not wearing a uniform, of course you have the right to decide. Because it’s in our CAD, our dispatch team can let you know within minutes if you’ve been pulled over by someone.” “

The sheriff said law enforcement officers, of course, use unmarked vehicles. However, he says these vehicles generally do not pull cars over unless it is a very serious situation. He also said those deputies would likely be in uniform.

Gruny was released from Okaloosa County Jail on $5,000 bail.