Animal control impersonators discovered in Scott County

Scott County, Ky (WTVQ): In Scott County, someone impersonated an animal control officer. This, however, is not the first time it’s happened. Here’s what to look out for, if this ever happens to you.

Richard Groff lives in Georgetown. He says he had a Scott County Animal Control Impersonator come to his home on January 18th, around 3 am. “I’m just concerned that he tried to case the neighborhood and kind of find houses that he can break into,” he said.  The impersonator wanted to talk to Groff about his animals being left outside in the cold weather. Groff says the person was driving a white minivan. “My dogs don’t get left outside. They have a doggy door they can come in anytime they want.”

Nathan Mullikin, Assistant Director of the Scott County Animal Control, says this is the third time something like this has happened. “I don’t know if it’s someone who’s just over stepping their bounds, and just trying to scare a person,” he said. “But either way it is a crime to try to impersonate a government official. We’ve had a call about a month ago. It’s been a few years ago since the last call.”

Groff says he talked to another woman in his neighborhood who said it happened to her. “Complained about her dog roaming the neighborhoods” he said. “But, at the time she didn’t even have a dog. So, she knew that was suspicious that it wasn’t hers.”

Mullikin says there are potential charges for it, but no one from these incidents have been charged. “If you have someone knock on the door, and you’re not sure if they’re who they’re claiming to be, don’t hesitate to contact the local law enforcement agency,” he said “It’s always better to just be safe.”

Mullikin says every officer carries an ID badge and wears an animal control logo on their clothing to prove their legitimacy.