HOLT, Fla., May 10, 2019–A Holt man posing as a firefighter contacted the Okaloosa County Communications Center asking for law enforcement to respond to a fight in Destin April 13.

Justin Thomas Jackson

Justin Thomas Jackson, 29, was charged May 6 with impersonating a firefighter, unauthorized radio transmissions and illegally transporting radio equipment using the assigned frequency of law enforcement officers.

When the radio call came in around 2 a.m. April 13 and the dispatcher asked for his unit identification, Jackson replied “Off-duty F.D.”

Jackson told deputies he was acting in the capacity of a ride sharing driver but had his radio from the Holt fire department in his possession.

He claimed his department programmed OCSO law enforcement frequencies on his radio, but later admitted he bought it on eBay with his own money.

A supervisor noted Jackson had what appeared to be emergency strobe lights on his dash board and a firefighter tag on the vehicle.

An investigation revealed Jackson is not affiliated with the Holt Volunteer Fire District and is not a certified firefighter in the state of Florida.

A search of Jackson’ radio also revealed it had additional law enforcement and school district frequencies.

Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office release