Cop Impersonator Shakes Down Two at Bowling Alley, Police Say

A Douglassville man has been arrested for orchestrating a shake down of two friends outside Thunderbird Lanes in Warminster, according to court records.

Police say that approximately one year ago Daniel Stradley, 19, had another man, Jared Lee Santos, 22, from Pottstown, impersonate an officer from the narcotics unit and force two victims to hand over $420 in cash, plus a package of synthetic marijuana and a small smoking pipe.

According to the affidavit, on July 7, 2012, Stradley dropped off two of his friends, aged 18 and 19 years old, outside the Thunderbird Lanes in Warminster at 9 p.m. Stradley told them to wait while he went to the nearby 7-Eleven to check his credit card balance.

Minutes after Stradley left, the victims were approached by a Hispanic man dressed in a black baseball hat, black cargo pants, black boots and a black vest that looked like body armor. The man held a gun and identified himself as an officer with the narcotics unit, the report says. The victims were ordered to empty their pockets, revealing two packs of cigarettes, a lighter, cell phone, the money, a packet of Spice synthetic marijuana and a smoking pipe. The self-identified officer gave back the cigarettes and cell phone and kept the rest, police say.

When the victims left the scene, they phoned Stradley to find out his location. He told the men that he had been stopped by Warminster Township Police Sergeant Neill. The report says that the department has no officers by that name or rank.

According to the affidavit, Stradley admitted to detectives on May 9 that he dropped off the impersonator, Santos, at Big Heads Bar in the same shopping center prior to the robbery. The report says that Stradley gave Santos the idea to dress up like an undercover officer and carry a toy gun that looked like a real firearm. Stradley told police that he called Santos to perform the shakedown after he dropped off the two victims, according to the report.

Stradley faces five felony counts of robbery and conspiracy, plus related charges.