CHARLOTTE — A Richland County Sheriff’s deputy working at the South Carolina State Fair last year noticed something unusual: an armed man dressed in black with what appeared to be police insignias was walking a Great Dane also decked out in police garb. But he wasn’t one of the deputy’s coworkers.
New court documents obtained by Channel 9 say a man from Newberry is accused of impersonating a federal agent and making false statements to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department last October.
According to a search warrant, RCSD Deputy Chief Harry Polis, Jr., was working security at the State Fair on Oct. 22 when he spotted a man dressed as an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The man, identified as Stephen Andrew Miller, was dressed in black tactical law enforcement-style gear with a patch that said “ATF POLICE” on his chest. Court documents say Miller also had a silver badge that looked like an ATF Task Force Officer badge, and a holstered handgun on his hip. Miller had a dog with him, and the dog was wearing a vest that read “POLICE” on the back.
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Polis walked up to Miller and asked for identification, but Miller couldn’t provide law enforcement credentials. Miller told the deputy that he was an ATF agent who worked out of the Charlotte office, and he claimed he was “familiarizing his police canine with being around large crowds,” according to the search warrant.
The deputy chief and an employee with the state fair spoke with Miller, and he claimed his office contacted the fair for permission. The search warrant says the general manager of the South Carolina State Fair didn’t know anything about Miller or “his alleged purpose for being at the fairgrounds as a federal agent.”
Miller told the deputy he didn’t have any identification, and because the deputy couldn’t confirm his story, he was escorted back to his vehicle.
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After Miller left, the deputy contacted the ATF Resident Agent in Charge in Columbia, Eddie Eubanks, who confirmed Miller isn’t an ATF agent. The search warrant says Miller actually worked as an employee of a Samsung home appliance manufacturing plant in Newberry.
Miller is charged with felony impersonating an officer of the United States, and he could face up to three years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
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