Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 15, 1994 TAG: 9401150222
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ADRIENNE PETTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Diana Grigorieff, a Roanoke woman traveling on U.S. 220, was stopped after midnight Thursday by a man impersonating a police officer.
Investigators do not have any suspects. They said no harm came to Grigorieff because she sensed something was wrong and acted cautiously in responding to the man's requests.
Grigorieff was driving through the Centreville section of Franklin County between the Henry County line and Rocky Mount on her way home from Greensboro, N.C.
A light-colored vehicle with flashing lights tailed her for a while, beckoning her to stop.
She couldn't tell whether the vehicle was a car or a pickup truck because it was so dark.
But the gold and white flashing lights, instead of the blue and red ones police cars usually have, clued her in that something was strange.
She also noticed that the man wasn't wearing a uniform, so she kept her window rolled up.
He demanded that she show him her driver's license through the raised glass.
She, in turn, shouted for him to produce a badge.
While he dug in his pocket, she noticed that he was wearing a stocking cap. She gunned her car back onto the highway and proceeded to the second Rocky Mount exit.
The man didn't follow her.
Motorists are advised to trust their judgment when they sense anything strange.
"In this day and time, my advice, particularly to women driving in a rural or secluded area, is to proceed to the nearest well-lit area before they stop," Capt. Bill Overton said.
Investigators in Henry County reported a similar incident a few days ago. Overton said officials are investigating both incidents.
by CNB