A Hall County man is in trouble for dressing up an old Crown Victoria to look like a Hall County patrol car.
Hall County Sheriff's Deputy Nicole Bailes said in an email deputies spotted the altered vehicle on Martin Ford Road when they answered a call in the neighborhood last Sunday. Bailes said the vehicle, which belonged to Charles McElroy Turner III, had Hall County lettering on it and a light-bar on top. She said the markings were unauthorized, so Turner was charged with a misdemeanor - marking of a law enforcement vehicle.
Bailes said investigators found out that Turner had purchased the 2000-model vehicle from a private seller, who had bought it from the GovDeals.com web site, where Hall County typically sells surplus vehicles and other equipment. At the time the county sold the vehicle, however, all markings had been removed.
Deputies also saw a sign at the end of a driveway on Martin Ford Road that read "police check-point ahead," but Bailes said they could not determine that Turner was actually stopping vehicles and acting as an officer.
Bailes said Turner surrendered himself to the Hall County authorities on Thursday; he posted a $1,300 bond. The vehicle was seized until Turner could arrange to have the markings removed.
