NEOLA, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Beckley man faces charges after he tried impersonating a cop and robbing a man.
According to a criminal complaint, on Saturday, July 24, 2021, deputies in Greenbrier County responded to a robbery and hostage complaint on Rt. 92 in Neola. Deputies spoke with the victim, who said he was driving when he saw a marron color Lincoln Continental car with reverse lights on in the middle of the road. The victim slammed on his brakes and passed the vehicle to avoid hitting it. The driver of the Lincoln sped up and started tailgating the victim. The victim hit his brakes slightly, and the driver of the Lincoln began spinning in the road. The victim turned around and went back to check on the driver. As the victim approached the Lincoln, the driver rolled down his window and yelled, “you mother f*****, you made me do that. I am an off-duty police officer, and I have a pistol. You are going to go to Go-Mart and give me 100 dollars and fill up my car with gas, or I am going to shoot you, take your car to the Chop Shop, and they will paint it up real nice for me.”
At this point, the victim said he feared for his life and safety, so he did what the driver told him to do. The two went to Go-Mart located in White Sulphur Springs, filled the Lincoln up, and gave the man 100 dollars.
Deputies reviewed security footage from the Go-Mart. During the video, they saw the suspect enter Go-Mart and walked over to where the live bait was, and watched him steal two containers of worms.
The victim told deputies that the suspect had given him the name Matthew Caldwell. The 911 center noted that a Matthew Caldwell showed up in the system from Beckley. Two deputies from Raleigh County went to the home to see if Matthew was there, but he wasn’t. There was a note that Caldwell left to his girlfriend that said he was going fishing.
One of the Greenbrier deputies went to Lake Sherwood to see if he could find the suspect. The deputy found the Lincoln vehicle and ran the tag, but it came back to a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Deputies then saw two people approach the car, and the suspect was wearing the same thing as in the video surveillance. Deputies placed Caldwell under arrest.
The suspect, Matthew Caldwell, robbed 100 dollars in cash and 25 dollars in gas from the victim.
Caldwell faces charges of shoplifting, unarmed robbery, and impersonating law enforcement. He is currently in Southern Regional Jail under an 11,000 dollar bond.
