PRESS RELEASE- From Saugerties Police
Date of Incident: April 25, 2017
Charges: Criminal Impersonation of a Police Officer 1st Degree (Felony)
Location of Incident: Pig Bar and Grill, 110 Partition Street, Saugerties, NY.
Person Charged: Steven P. Lewis
Charged Person’s Age: 26
Address of Person Charged: 206 Ulster Avenue, Apt. #2, Saugerties, NY
Arraigned: Yes. $5,000 cash Village of Saugerties Court.
Narrative of What Occurred:
On April 23, 2017, a 26 year-old-female received a call from an unknown male, who identified himself as a police officer from the Saugerties Police Department. The male had threatened to arrest the victim, in reference to an incident that allegedly occurred at the Pig Bar and Grill in Saugerties over the weekend. The victim filed a complaint with the Saugerties Police Department. Saugerties Police Detectives conducted an investigation, determining that Steven P. Lewis, who works as a cook at the Pig Bar and Grill, was responsible for the making the phone call to the victim in order to intimidate the victim and further to extort money from the victim. Lewis used information from a Saugerties Police Detective’s business card to identify himself as a police officer. Lewis utilized a phone application that “spoofs” phone number in furtherance of his ruse, indicating on the victim’s caller ID that the call had originated from the Saugerties Police Department’s phone number.
Steven Lewis was arrested on April 25, 2017 and charged with the Felony of Criminal Impersonation of a Police Officer. Lewis was processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters and then arraigned in the Village of Saugerties Court, being remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 bond.