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WILKES-BARRE — A Dallas man who allegedly identified himself as a police officer when he confronted a student on the campus of Misericordia University waived his right to a preliminary hearing Thursday.
Dallas Township police say Edward Leroy Gray Jr., 39, of Lower Demunds Road, followed a student onto campus property and identified himself as a Dallas Borough officer on Oct. 26.
According to a criminal complaint:
A male student was driving a vehicle occupied by other students on Memorial Highway and pulled in front of a cargo box van in an area where two lanes merge into a single lane. The student noticed the van followed him onto campus and a parking lot, about 1.5 miles from where he first spotted the van on Memorial Highway.
When the student stopped, the driver of the van, identified as Gray, activated the van’s orange lights. Gray got out of the van and yelled at the student, claiming the student was speeding and cut him off.
Gray identified himself as a part-time police officer for Dallas and was going to issue the student $200 in citations when he started his police shift later that night.
University police officer William Bevan approached the van after noticing the orange flashing lights. Bevan told police he witnessed Gray yelling at the student and identifying himself as a police officer.
Bevan told Gray he was not in uniform, and the university is not in the jurisdiction of Dallas Borough.
Police said Gray is not an officer for Dallas Borough.
Gray appeared in Luzerne County Central Court where he waived a single count of impersonating a public servant to county court.
Charges of harassment and two vehicle code violations were withdrawn.
Gray remains free on his own recognizance.