CLEARFIELD – A Morrisdale man who claimed to be a police officer while he flashed his gun at Wal-Mart employees pleaded guilty to impersonating a public servant Monday.
Brooks M. Beveridge, 33, was sentenced by President Judge Fredric J. Ammerman to 18 months probation. He was ordered to have a mental health assessment and he is not permitted to possess a firearm.
The charges stem from an incident at the Wal-Mart store in Lawrence Township Feb. 7 when Beveridge was arguing with employees regarding an item he was trying to return. He told them he was an undercover police officer and showed them he was carrying a handgun.
Prior to sentencing, Beveridge’s attorney, Brian Manchester, told the court that what Beveridge did was “extremely stupid” and he has no excuse for it. He then mentioned that Beveridge is a veteran who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Beveridge apologized for his actions and stated that not being able to have a gun is a big punishment for him.
Manchester asked for a six-month probationary period. Assistant District Attorney Ben Baker responded, saying that six months probation would be too short of a time for this type of charge and asked for the maximum probationary sentence.
For more details on this case, click here for an article on the preliminary hearing.