A hotel worker was tricked by a thief pretending to be a police officer early Tuesday morning.
Captain Jeff Wilson with the St. Joseph Police Department said a black male entered the Holiday Inn in Downtown St. Joseph just before 3 a.m. and indicated to the clerk that he was a police officer.
“He used the hoax that he was an officer and had heard there was going to be a robbery there and was going to go through some procedural things in case there was one,” said Wilson.
The man allegedly flipped something out of his pocket pretending it was a badge, however there was not one there.
Wilson said the man stole $500 from the hotel.
The man was reported to be a black male around 5’8″ thing build wearing khaki pants, a red sweater and a stocking cap.
The sweater and stocking cap were recovered by police on southbound I-229 a short distance away from the hotel.
The suspect did not display a weapon.
There were no injuries and police say surveillance footage is not currently available.
An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Joseph Police Department (816) 271-4777 or the TIPS Hotline at (816) 238-TIPS.