Longmont Police Cmdr. Tim Lewis knows of instances where someone broke down doors or shattered windows to get at a stash of pornography.
But the case of a man who flashed a badge and announced he was a porn inspector is a new one, Lewis said. “It’s inventive, I’ll give him that,” he said.
Police announced Monday that they are looking for a ponytailed man who claimed to be an investigator with the Longmont police “age-verification unit.”
The man tried to get a half-dozen free copies of pornography films from a local adult novelty store on at least three instances, Lewis said.
He entered the store on north Main Street in Longmont on July 18, 19 and 26, flashed a badge and presented a business card that said “Longmont police” but had no name on it, said Lewis.
The man told the store clerk that he wanted to view several porn videos to verify the ages of the participants, Lewis said. When the clerks refused to hand over the videos, he left the store.
“The badge looked real enough, but each clerk felt something just wasn’t quite right about this,” said Lewis, who added that the Police Department does not have an “age-verification unit.”
“That’s a little too specialized for us,” he said.
The man never threatened the clerks and when told the porn videos would not be handed over, he simply left the store without making a fuss.
“I’ve never seen this kind of ruse to get porn,” said Lewis.
The man is described as being 5-foot-6 and 155 pounds, in his mid-30s, with long black hair and glasses. He was wearing his hair in a ponytail. He also had a brace on his left wrist and arm.
The man may drive a red Dodge Neon.
Monte Whaley: 720-929-0907 or mwhaley@denverpost.com
