A Glencoe man has been charged with Impersonating a Peace Officer in Etowah County.
Sheriff Todd Entrekin said 56 year old Harold Elliot Helms was arrested on Halloween and charged with one count of Impersonating a Peace Officer, and one count of the First Degree Possession of Marijuana – both felonies.
He was also charged with two misdemeanors – Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Unlawful Possession of Certain Chemical Compounds.
Helms had walked into Riverview Regional Medical Center on October 29th with a handgun openly visible on his side; he told hospital security that he was a Glencoe Police Officer and stated that he was assigned to the U.S. Marshal’s Service. Investigators later discovered marijuana, drug paraphernalia and synthetic marijuana, while executing a search warrant at his home on Edgar Road.
Helms was booked into the Etowah County Detention Center and later released on bond of $14,500.
The U.S. Marshal’s Service and the FBI assisted in the investigation.