Detective: Fake 'cop' investigated burglaries, wrote traffic tickets

Ryan William Churchill investigated numerous burglaries, did traffic stops and even wrote tickets.

All good police work. But he wasn't a cop.

Anyone who has information about Ryan William Churchill should call detectives at (561)776-2100 or contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or tips@cspbc.net.

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Real lawmen have since arrested Churchill, 23.

A judge Friday ordered him held in lieu of $10,000 bail, and he was released from the Palm Beach County Jail later that day.

Churchill's lawyer, Kenneth Lemoine of West Palm Beach, declined to comment today.

Churchill told people "he was a millionaire, he owned a gas station, he owned a Palm Beach mansion, and that he had a Lamborghini," according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's report.

It said he told one woman he was a federal law enforcement officer and told her son he was a sheriff's deputy and had cancer and had once planted two kilograms of cocaine on a person who was bothering a friend.

The son said Churchill had bragged "he had rammed a car off the road that wouldn't stop for him when he tried to pull it over," the report said.

A person has since confirmed the incident to investigators, saying he was riding with Churchill, who kept going.

The witness said a dash camera taped the whole thing, but a search of Churchill's car did not uncover the tape, a investigator said.

Investigators also have seized a laptop and, after viewing files in it, "more charges are expected," detective Alfredo Araujo said. He would not elaborate.

Investigators were led to Churchill after receiving complaints, the detective said.

"Everybody kept saying the reason the person we were looking at kept not getting arrested was he had a cop on the inside," Araujo said.

Churchill, who has no criminal background save some traffic charges, "was a wannabe" who was unable to be a law enforcement officer and so apparently decided to do the next best thing, Araujo said.

First he went to an auction and bought a surplus sheriff's cruiser right out of central casting: a Crown Ford Victoria.

The sheriff's office had stripped it. But, detectives say, he had it loaded with police equipment.

In an Oct. 16 search of the car at Churchill's suburban Boca Raton home, deputies found flashing yellow lights, a siren, a video and audio recording system and even a traffic radar gun, a report said.

'"His car was tricked out,' Araujo said.

There was law enforcement forms, a handcuff pouch, a handcuff key package, a badge holder and a .40 caliber Glock magazine containing eight bullets.

The car also contained a receipt showing Churchill had received a police discount from a car wash.

In the trunk, investigators found paperwork related to a July burglary in Loxahatchee. Ryan later denied knowing about the documents.

Anyone who has information about Churchill should call detectives at (561)776-2100 or contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) source>>>

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