Trial begins for man in fake deputy case

BELLEVILLE -- A St. Clair County trial is under way for a former Alorton and Red Bud police officer accused of posing as a sheriff's deputy when he tried to arrest a young woman.

Thirty-five-year-old Jon Lair is charged with felony counts of unlawful restraint, impersonating a police officer and official misconduct. He's also accused of misdemeanor drunken driving.

Authorities say Lair told a 19-year-old woman he was a sheriff's deputy when he allegedly tried to arrest her in Belleville in January of last year and tried to force her into his pickup truck.

Investigators say the woman recognized that the arrest was false and managed to escape.

Lair was later arrested by Belleville police.