Phony cop sought

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office is looking for an unidentified man suspected of briefly detaining a woman last week while posing as a law enforcement officer.

The Sheriff's Office said the suspect was driving a vehicle resembling a law enforcement patrol car when he pulled over a woman driving on Highway 108 near Cold Springs about 7 a.m. on July 12.

He allegedly told the woman he stopped her because she was "driving erratically." The woman told Sheriff's deputies he was a wearing a law enforcement type belt but did not appear to have a handgun.

California Highway Patrol and the Sheriff's Office were both notified, but neither agency reported having any personnel or vehicles in the area at the time of the incident.

The suspect is described as about 45-55 years old, 6-foot-tall, 200 pounds, with short blond hair and a receding hair line, blue eyes, and possibly wearing contact lenses.

His car is described as a black sedan with white doors, red emergency lights mounted under the headlights and a broken mirror on the driver's side.

The Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance identifying the suspect. Anyone with information regarding the incident, or who may have had a similar experience, is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 533-5815.