Man accused of pretending to be a Chicago firefighter pleads not guilty
A River Grove man accused of telling his girlfriend he was a Chicago firefighter pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Lake County Circuit Court.
Police said Robert Rozycki, 32, was arrested in Island Lake while driving a car that was equipped with an array of emergency equipment and contained several emergency service uniform items.
Assistant State's Attorney Steven DeRue said Island Lake police stopped Rozycki's late-model Ford Crown Victoria around 7 p.m. March 8 because it had expired license plates.
DeRue said the car's center console was equipped with police radios that could receive and transmit. The car also had a series of flashing lights and several antennas.
A police gun belt, several police and fire department patches and a Maywood Police sergeant's badge were also found in the car.
Rozycki, who was wearing a Chicago Police baseball hat and protective vest, also had a working portable police radio clipped to his belt, DeRue said.
The woman in the car with Rozycki told police he had told her he was a member of the Chicago Fire Department bomb and arson squad, and showed police a picture of Rozycki wearing the hat and vest that he had sent to her cell phone.
Police are investigating how Rozycki obtained the radios and some of the other equipment, which are not available to the general public, DeRue said.
"We are very concerned about how the defendant came to have many of the things he was found with," DeRue said. "Given his record and what we have in our possession, additional charges are certainly a possibility."
Court records show Rozycki was sentenced to a year in prison in 1995 after his probation for a Cook County conviction for impersonating a police officer was revoked, and he has numerous other arrests for similar offenses.
"This is not Halloween, and it is not a game," DeRue said. "We are encouraging anyone who may have encountered this defendant in his make-believe role as a public officer to contact us immediately."
Rozycki is charged with impersonating a firefighter and faces up to three years in prison if convicted.
Circuit Judge John Phillips scheduled a trial of the case for May 11 and ordered Rozycki, who is held on $30,000 bond, to appear in court April 30.
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=278587">Man accused of impersonating firefighter in Lake County incident <span class="date">[3/12/08]</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>