A man who reportedly claimed to work for the Navy Criminal Investigative Service was arrested after allegedly conducting an unauthorized traffic stop on Highway 98, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
- Salvatore Gruny, 69, of Shalimar, was charged with impersonating a federal officer, use of a firearm during a felony, unlawful use of blue lights, and unlawful use of a badge following the November 4 incident.
Deputies responded after the stopped motorist called authorities to report a possible police impersonator. They found Gruny had used his personal Dodge Charger equipped with flashing blue lights in the front windshield and red, blue, and white lights in the back window to make the stop.
When questioned, Gruny reportedly showed identification for the Office of Naval Intelligence and was carrying a loaded 9mm handgun on his hip. The victim reported Gruny had accused him of reckless driving and displayed both his ONI badge and firearm when asked if he was a police officer.
- Officials from ONI confirmed to the Sheriff’s Office that Gruny is retired and said he had been previously warned about similar behavior.
“We have unmarked cars and people in plain clothes but typically they’re not pulling cars over,” Sheriff Eric Aden said. “If you get pulled over with an unmarked car with us, it’s still going to be someone typically in uniform.”
Aden noted that most legitimate traffic stops in Okaloosa County are conducted by marked green and white patrol cars with visible blue emergency lights. He advised that motorists uncertain about the legitimacy of a traffic stop can contact the OCSO dispatch for immediate verification.
