Rafael Angel Nieves was arrested
two weeks after he allegedly pretended to be a federal agent while at the scene
of his daughter's car accident
By Natalie Allison Janicello
Times-News
ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — A man
charged Wednesday with impersonating a law enforcement officer resigned as a
corporal with the Burlington Police Department in 2008, several months after
being placed on administrative leave for unlawfully pointing a gun at two
people.
Rafael Angel Nieves, 42, was
arrested at the Alamance County Sheriff's Office two weeks after he allegedly
pretended to be a federal agent while at the scene of his daughter's car
accident. According to the city of Burlington, Nieves was hired as a Burlington
police officer in December 2002. Assistant Chief Chris Verdeck said Nieves
worked with the Gang Task Force while he was employed.
Following a records request,
Aaron Noble, human resources director for the city, said Nieves was placed on
paid administrative leave Aug. 1, 2008 after an incident the night before in
which he was accused of unlawfully pointing a firearm at two people.
Noble said he was unsure whether
the incident occurred while Nieves was on duty.
It was unclear how long the
administrative duty lasted, or what the police department concluded after
conducting an investigation into the incident. Noble said Nieves voluntarily
resigned in November 2008.
According to the sheriff's
office, Nieves' daughter was involved in a single-vehicle accident Feb. 19 on
Isley Road, damaging a fence. While a trooper from Highway Patrol was still in
route to the wreck, Nieves' daughter reportedly called Nieves and the sheriff's
office about a disturbance involving the property owner, said Randy Jones,
public information officer for the sheriff's office.
Jones didn't know what the
disagreement was about, and said no report was taken since deputies found no
disturbance upon arrival.
Nieves allegedly came to the
scene and displayed a badge to the trooper and sheriff's deputies, identifying
himself as "a federal agent with the United States Department of
Justice."
Later, the son of the property
owner filed complaints with both the sheriff's office and with federal
authorities about Nieves displaying his credentials, "the way he conducted
himself and the fact he would come up to an accident scene like that and flash
a badge," Jones said.
Upon investigating, the
sheriff's office determined that Nieves was not a DOJ agent, but is employed in
a non-sworn position with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's
Greensboro office.
He was arrested at the sheriff's
office and given a $400 bond.