A Florida teen who was arrested last year for posing as a physician's assistant at a Kissimmee-area hospital was arrested in Miami Beach Thursday morning on charges of impersonating a police officer.
Matthew Thomas Scheidt, 18, is facing charges of falsely impersonating an officer and carrying a concealed firearm and weapon, according to Miami-Dade jail records.
According to Miami Beach Police, Scheidt was arrested after an encounter with an undercover cop who was patrolling South Beach.
Police say Scheidt pulled along side the undercover officer in a white Ford Crown Victoria and advised the real cop, who he didn't realize was an undercover officer, to fasten his seatbelt.
"The undercover officer made eye contact with the driver, and noticed that he was conducting himself as an officer, using a laptop, speaking with the officer using police jargon," Miami Beach Police spokesman Juan Sanchez said in a statement.
More real cops showed up and stopped Scheidt's car. Inside, they found a .380-caliber Ruger under the front passenger seat, a Taser, handcuffs, a radio, an Osceola County Sheriff's badge, several Osceola County Police shirts and an empty ankle holster, police said.
"When he was taken into our jail they also found an ankle holster on him," Sanchez said.
Scheidt was arrested last September after he was found treating patients at the emergency room at Osceola Regional Medical Center, according to police.
Police said Scheidt, 17 at the time, had even performed CPR on a patient in cardiac arrest since obtaining a hospital ID badge on August 24.
Scheidt had claimed to be a 23-year-old physician's assistant in a program at Nova Southeastern University, and applied for a hospital ID badge under the pretense that he worked as a P.A. for a surgical group that had just changed its name, police said.
In reality Scheidt was a part-time billing clerk for the surgical group. He was later fired.
While at the hospital, Scheidt also interviewed an undisclosed number of patients, read confidential medical records, conducted physical exams on disrobed male patients, cleaned and dressed wounds, and restrained one combative patient, authorities said.
An Osceola Sheriff's spokeswoman confirmed Scheidt had once been a member of the department's program for future law enforcement officers, but was booted for repeatedly wearing items including a badge that could make people think he was a deputy.
Police said Scheidt claimed at least twice to be an undercover law enforcement officer and repeatedly requested a new badge that would allow him access to restricted areas of the hospital.
Scheidt faces five counts of impersonating a physician's assistant in Osceola County. He was being held in Miami-Dade on $11,000 bond, but was released Thursday after posting bond. It was unknown whether he has an attorney.
