Man Posed As Police Officer To Steal From Retailers: PCSO

POLK COUNTY, FL — A man posed as a police officer to steal from retailers, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. William Ira Tillman III, 52, has been charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and grand theft.

Deputies said that on Oct. 17, 2021, an asset protection investigator from the Lowe’s in Lake Wales called the Polk County Sheriff’s Office to report a stolen power inverter generator valued at $1,129.00.

Detectives said they learned that Tillman entered the garden area, removed a police-style badge from under his shirt, and displayed the badge around his neck.

Tillman then told a store associate that he was picking up a donation for the sheriff’s office and took the generator from the store without paying.

The investigating detective located the generator at a pawn shop in Orlando where Tillman had sold it just an hour and 15 minutes after it was stolen, the sheriff's office said.

During the investigation, detectives said they discovered Tillman had also stolen items from two different Walmart stores.

On October 15, 2021, deputies said Tillman entered Walmart in Winter Haven and removed a 50-inch Samsung television valued at $478.00 from the shelf before displaying a police-style badge around his neck.

When a store associate stopped Tillman and asked to see his receipt, Tillman told the employee he was picking up the television for the “police department” and had the paperwork in his car. Tillman left the television with the associate and fled the store, the sheriff's office said.

Then on Nov. 3, 2021, Tillman entered Walmart in Haines City, and while wearing a Walmart associate vest, stole merchandise valued at $591, the sheriff's office said.

Deputies said Approximately an hour after the theft, Tillman sold the stolen merchandise at a pawn shop in Orlando.

Detectives eventually obtained a warrant for Tillman’s arrest. He was arrested in Orange County.

“This guy was posing as a law enforcement officer to steal from retailers - you just can't make this stuff up. Tillman is already facing a plethora of charges in other counties, and we are going to do everything we can to hold him accountable for his actions," Sheriff Grady Judd said.

According to the sheriff's office, Tillman told PCSO detectives that he was moving from hotel to hotel and he knew he had warrants for his arrest. He also told officers that he owned the badge because he had worked as a “repo-man.” The investigation is ongoing as to what type of badge Tillman was using during the thefts.