Monroe County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Key Largo man for allegedly impersonating a New York state trooper to try to get his ex-girlfriend arrested.
The case started back in March when Claude Francis Tristram's ex-girlfriend said the suspect was violating a court-ordered injunction she placed against him to not contact her.
Investigators found that 37-year-old Tristram violated the order because he was actively reaching out to his ex-girlfriend through calls and texts, and he even mailed her USB devices.
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Later in March, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office received a call through its non-emergency line from someone who claimed to be an off-duty New York state trooper. He reported a potentially intoxicated driver that was driving recklessly.
Officials responded to the call and stopped the vehicle that the supposed trooper had called in. The driver, who was Tristram's ex-girlfriend, was not driving under the influence.
According to arrest records, the man behind the phone call was Tristram, who used a phone app that blocked his contact number, allowing him to make anonymous calls.
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After investigating, Monroe officials obtained the records from the company that owns the app and contacted New York State Police to see if Tristan was an off-duty officer as he had claimed.
New York Police said they did not have a trooper named Tristram.
Police then obtained warrants for Tristram's arrest and they arrested him on Monday.
He is charged with false impersonation of a police officer.
According to arrest records, he had been previously arrested in 2021 for battery and contempt of court.
