Woman posed as deputy, warned about cop killer

Deputies with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office say a woman posed as one of their own on Monday and Tuesday evenings, knocking on doors of homes in The Villages retirement community.  They say she actually talked her way right into one of the homes Tuesday night

Captain Haworth with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office tells us, "She went to three in Sumter and only asked to get into one...and we just learned today we believe the same woman went to two residences in Marion County."

It happened at five different homes in The Villages, but it was only the home of Kathleen and Joe Singleton that she asked to enter.

"She said, because the cop killer had been spotted in Leesburg and she was going to warn everyone," explained Joe Singleton.   "The door was open, she stepped inside, and she said she wanted to check the house and make sure it was secure."

Joe and his told deputies she meticulously tested window locks, doors, asking about security, surveillance cameras, all the while sporting a handgun at her hip.

"We just started thinking about it, didn't seem right," Joe said.

They called deputies once she left.  Deputies said she is not with any law enforcement agency, and they said the Singleton's are right -- a real deputy would have a badge, a marked car, and would not come inside.

The Singleton's describe the poser as a black woman in her 20s or 30s, about 180 pounds, driving a black sedan.

"Are they casing the house for a future burglary? Does she have a mental disorder? Or is she a friendly citizen taking it too far?" asked Capt. Haworth.  "I don't know.  That's why we want to find out who she is."

If you know anything, call deputies.