Associated Press
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. — A Salem man will soon appear in court after being arrested for posing as a firefighter, paramedic and as someone who runs an ambulance company.
Michael Alan Selmer, 29, was arrested earlier this month and put in county jail. He faces two counts each of felony theft, criminal impersonation and computer crimes, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
He also is charged with forgery, unlawful use of a motor vehicle and faces outstanding warrants from Marion and Douglas counties. Selmer also has an outstanding warrant from Tennessee for felony theft.
Selmer is believed to have responded to vehicle accidents and other medical calls, pretending to be a firefighter and paramedic. Authorities say he told people he had his own ambulance service to get donations of police and life-saving equipment.
Police arrested Selmer while he was driving a stolen pickup truck that he had rigged with concealed blue and red police flashing lights. But the detectives following him were unable to use their police radios to communicate with uniformed deputies to stop him, because he had radios with him that included their frequencies.
A law enforcement agency contacted Marion County detectives, saying that Selmer said he was selling police radios online.
He had already been convicted and served time for crimes related to police and emergency equipment.
Prosecutors and law enforcement investigators who worked on the 2003 case said they’re not surprised that Selmer was arrested again.
“His general M.O. was to pretend that he either owned an ambulance company or was a paramedic or he was a firefighter,” said Marion County Deputy District Attorney John Turner. “He would be either buying or selling emergency equipment.”
Selmer is scheduled to appear in court Monday.