Man charged with impersonating officer, refusing to pay tab at strip club

RICHMOND KY — A Richmond man received a felony charge Thursday night after he refused to pay his tab at the Manhattan Club, stating “he was a police officer and did not have to pay,” according to Richmond police.

John D. Edwards, 50, of Lexington Road was charged with impersonating a police officer and theft of services.

An officer was sent to the club on East Water Street after receiving a report about a customer who was refusing to pay for services, according to an RPD report.

Employees told the officer that Edwards owed $70 on his tab and refused to pay. He told the employees that as a police officer, he did not have to pay, the report stated.

Edwards repeated the assertion that he was a police officer to the RPD officer. He was asked for credentials, and Edwards showed the officer an ID card from the Federal Medical Center in Lexington that indicated he was an electrical worker supervisor at the facility, the RPD reported.

The Federal Medical Center is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

Edwards became disorderly and was arrested, the report stated. He was taken to the Madison County Detention Center.