Man pretended to be a cop on his dating profile, GA cops say. Now he faces charges

Online dating can be hard. But posing as a cop is still a felony, Georgia police say.

A man from Cleveland, Georgia is accused of impersonating a police officer on an online dating website, Gainesville police wrote in a news release.

The 47-year-old man is suspected of creating a “fraudulent, inappropriate, dangerous and distasteful dating account online,” in which he posed as a Gainesville Police Officer, according to the news release. Now he is charged with felonies for impersonating a police officer, identity theft, and misleading transmittal use of official name, trade name, legal seal or copyrighted symbol over computer network.

Gainesville officials say the man created his account in “an attempt to embarrass, harass, and discredit our organization for his benefit.”

The department did not share what dating website the man reportedly used. Gainesville Police could not be immediately reached for comment.

Gainesville is about 130 miles north of Macon, Georgia.

This story was originally published August 3, 2023 at 10:58 AM with the headline "Man pretended to be a cop on his dating profile, GA cops say. Now he faces charges."