Gig Up for Bogus Police Officer in Texas

Texas authorities have arrested a man who allegedly posed as a sheriff's deputy to live for free in a San Antonio apartment, officials said.

Joe Luis Gonzales, 46, was being held on a charge of impersonating a public servant and another of contempt of court for failing to pay child support, The San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday.

Police said Gonzales applied for a courtesy officer position and signed a lease to live rent-free in the apartment March 6.

Deputies and officers often pay a reduced subsidized rent or none at all in exchange for performing security duties where they live, authorities said.

Gonzales wore a sheriff's officer uniform, was carrying a gun and had a deputy's badge when he applied for the apartment, an arrest affidavit said.

The impersonation was discovered when an apartment resident tried to file a complaint against him, Deputy Chief Dale Bennett said.

"We realized that this guy's not an employee of ours," he said.