Man arrested for impersonating a police officer

PALMER - Alaska State Troopers say they arrested a man who used a white minivan to pull people over and pretend to be a police officer.

According to a trooper press statement, Ieremia Unasa, 26, of Palmer, was arrested at a home off of Eklutna Street at 6:33 p.m., Monday on charges of impersonating a police officer.

Troopers alleged he managed to pull multiple people over in his Chrysler Voyager between Wasilla and Palmer.

His bail was set at $10,000 and he will need to find a third party to watch over him before he can be released.

As a criminal charge, "impersonating a police officer" is something of a rarity in the Valley, but this case is the second in four months.

In November 2011, Kenneth Wilson also was arrested for trying to pull people over in a Ford Focus he'd equipped with emergency lights. Wilson's arrest was his third on similar charges. He'd also been arrested in 2001 and 2004 for similar impersonation crimes.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.