Man arrested for impersonating St. Tammany officer during burglary attempt

ST. TAMMANY, La. (WGNO) — The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested a man accused of pretending to be a deputy while trying to steal a Sheriff’s Office vehicle.

Tuesday (Dec. 6), two employees of the St. Tammany Maintenance Department noticed a man climb into the driver’s seat of a marked STPSO vehicle that was parked behind the jail.

When the employees approached, the man later identified as Pete Dunhurst, told them that he was a lieutenant with the STPSO Narcotics Division, and he was taking the vehicle to be serviced.

Believing this to be false, the two employees alerted a nearby supervisor within the STPSO Operations Division who took Dunhurst into custody.

Deputies say that at the time of his arrest, Dunhurst was in possession of a pistol with an obliterated serial number.

He was charged on one count each of vehicle burglary, impersonating a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

According to the patrol deputy who responded to the report, he arrested Dunhurst last month when he was caught breaking into a Covington residence. He claimed to be a lieutenant with the STPSO Narcotics Division during that incident as well. Dunhurst is not employed and has never been employed with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office or any law enforcement agency.