Larry Matthew "Matt" Pitt

[JamesVincent]

I'm kind of hesitant on where to put this one, if someone can figure a better place please move it. And It's kind of hard to figure out where to start, not really a lot of information out there.

As best as I can piece together Matt Pitt is a Youth Ministries Preacher who started a youth ministry group called "The Basement". In 2011 he was pulled over for doing 86 in a 55 zone. When the officer approached the vehicle Mr. Pitt had a badge laying in his lap, which was an honorary badge presented by the Sheriff's Department for community service. Mr. Pitt tried to use the badge to pursued the LEO that he was a Deputy Sheriff. The officer called it in and was told that he wasn't so he issued a citation. From there it gets weird.

In 2012 he apparently had had blue emergency lights installed in his vehicle and was driving down the road, in a rain storm, flashing these lights at other motorists and forcing them to pull over, thinking they were being stopped by an LEO. When they did start to pull over he would then drive around them at a high rate of speed. Several motorists called 911 and he was stopped and arrested, yet again claiming that his honorary badge made him a Deputy Sheriff.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/18502859/c ... itt-arrest

5/11/2012 at 11:57 p.m. the Calera police department received a complaint about an unmarked Tahoe on I-65 pulling behind traffic and activating emergency flashing blue lights. The complaintant said that once traffic began to pull over the SUV would turn off the blue lights and speed around the traffic and that the vehicle had done this several times.

Calera police officers stopped the suspect vehicle on I-65 in Calera. When officers approached the vehicle Larry [Matthew] Pitt held up his wallet displaying a badge and photo ID card. Officers asked Pitt if he was an officer and he stated he was a deputy with Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. The vehicle Larry Pitt was not registered to any governmental agency, but was equipped with multiple working LED flashing blue lights in the fog lights, grill, front windshield and back window.

The vehicle was also equipped with a working audible emergency siren. It was verified that Pitt was not a certified law enforcement officer. Pitt was arrested on scene for impersonating a peace officer and transported to the Shelby County Jail.

He pled guilty to the impersonation of an officer charge and was given a one year sentence, which was suspended and then given two years unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine.

In 2013 he was again charged with impersonating an officer during an altercation with another resident over an abandoned rifle (cannot find any more description of the incident then that) where he again flashed his honorary badge. Police were called and an arrest warrant was issued, which Mr. Pitt ignored.

http://www.alabamas13.com/story/2335556 ... itts-badge

A badge that Jefferson County investigators said Pitt flashed again three months ago when a resident questioned him about an abandoned rifle near some woods in Grayson Valley.

The sheriff's office said Pitt, "Presented himself as a law enforcement officer."

Mr. Pitt gave an interview with a local news station on August 20. After the interview, which was pretty bizarre if you ask me, he was approached by LEOs and an arrest attempt was made. Mr. Pitt then fled on foot and jumped off of a 45 foot cliff in an attempt to escape.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08 ... de-police/

Following his exchange with WVTM-TV, Pitt very literally ran from authorities. While fleeing, he reportedly jumped a 45-foot cliff in an attempt to escape. But his efforts were to no avail, as he was inevitably detained (alleged video of police clashing with his wife at the family home has also emerged).

After all of this he was tested for drugs and was found, wonder of wonders, positive of several different drug types.

http://www.alabamas13.com/story/2370907 ... e-arrested

COLUMBIANA, AL -

Local youth evangelist Larry 'Matt' Pitt tested positive for three different drugs hours after his arrest, his drug results show.

The Shelby County Community Corrections drug lab shows that Pitt tested positive for Amphetamine, Benzodiazepine and Opiate.

The actual drug test results.

http://www.alabamas13.com/link/663169/m ... st-results


Like I said, just a very weird story all around. I started looking at it since the impersonating an LEO sounded like a sovereign at first but I really don't think this dude believes in anything but himself. One thing I would say, like someone else commented on one of the stories, citizens should learn what color/ color combinations local LEOs use on their vehicles to help protect against someone doing just this.

[JamesVincent]

Ok, I did find something a little bit clearer about the incident with the rifle and the reason for him being charged a second time for impersonating an officer.

http://www.trussvilletribune.com/2013/1 ... matt-pitt/

Vessels said a neighbor alerted him to a strange vehicle parked in their townhome subdivision and to four wheeler activity in the woods near their home.

Vessels said that when they went to investigate, they saw a rifle and a four wheeler. Pitt and someone named Bailey soon arrived on another ATV to retrieve the rifle and four wheeler. It was at that time, according to Vessels, that Pitt displayed a badge to Vessels and his neighbor.

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/08/is_ ... or_ma.html

In the most recent case, authorities said deputies on June 15 were called to the 5200 block of Falling Creek Lane to investigate a report of a man impersonating a law enforcement officer. Christian said deputies were told there was a suspicious vehicle sitting in front of a home two hours earlier and the resident had seen people going back and forth between the vehicle and a nearby wooded area.

The caller said he went to investigate and discovered a rifle hidden at the edge of the woods. The people he had seen earlier were nowhere around the rife. He called authorities to report the discovery of the gun.

While he was waiting for sheriff's officials to respond, two men drove up on ATV's. One of them retrieved the rifle, Christian said.

The man told them he had called the sheriff's office and asked what they were doing. Neither, he said, was able to provide a satisfactory answer, Christian said.

At that point, the witness said, Pitt retrieved the rifle and identified himself as a law enforcement officer. The pair then drove off on the ATVs. The man didn't say anything else to him because he believed they were law enforcement officers.

The deputy called to investigate the weapon was suspicious of the story the men told the witness. The case was forwarded to the sheriff's office Criminal Division for investigation. On Wednesday, investigators presented the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office and an arrest warrant was issued.

[AndyK]

Skippy from The Incredibles

Some people have so little life of their own that they invent, and live, one. Unfortunately, sometimes these fantasy lives collide with reality.

[notorial dissent]

It sounds to me as if Mr Pitt has some serious mental health issues that need dealing with, and removing him from the public domain is a necessary first step. His drug issues and being around young people is bad enough, but the pretend LEO is more disturbing, as that rarely if ever ends well.