Repeat Felon Sentenced for Federal Law Enforcement Impersonation, Firearm Possession
On December 6, 2021, officers of the Avon Police Department responded to a call after Costco employees reported an individual was in the store wearing a badge with a gun on his person. Authorities warned employees to be on the lookout for Patrick Hancock, 42, who law enforcement suspected of traveling to several Costco locations in the area and using fraudulent checks.
The responding officers found Hancock wearing a badge emblazoned with the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) Special Agent branding around his neck, with an openly holstered 9mm Glock pistol, a baton, and two pairs of handcuffs.
Hancock’s prior criminal records include credit card theft, fraud, unlawful firearm possession, and false impersonation of law enforcement, which prohibit him from possessing firearms. The most recent felony conviction Hancock received stemmed from an incident in 2017 where he posed as a federal law enforcement officer and attempted to arrest an adult nightclub employee with a false arrest warrant. The investigation revealed that Hancock was illegally possessing a firearm.
According to the Justice Department, Hancock confessed that he purchased the fake DEA badge on a website to feel a sense of belonging.
This week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt for the Southern District of Indiana sentenced Hancock to four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Hancock is set to serve 41 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) conducted an investigation in conjunction with the Avon Police Department.