A Washington Township woman who police said has been repeatedly warned in the past to stop identifying herself as a sheriff’s deputy was charged with impersonating a public servant after an incident near her home.

Barbara Lynne Szulc, 61, allegedly was riding a red lawnmower around Wellington Estates at 3:45 a.m. Thursday when police were called to the community, according to court papers. Witnesses reported Szulc was shining a flashlight into the windows of homes.

Police found her on Tanner Street, about 200 feet from her home, on the lawnmower. Szulc told investigators she couldn’t sleep and went for a ride, claiming that she had been injured in the line of duty while serving as a Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy.

Police said that Szulc has misrepresented herself as a member of law enforcement in the past repeatedly and that she had been warned about the possibility of criminal charges. She resigned from the sheriff’s office after less than a year without completing the required training, according to court papers.

A resident told police that she heard commotion outside her home and saw Szulc riding the lawnmower and shining a flashlight into other houses, the rental office and storage sheds. The resident expressed concern for Szulc’s dog, which police said they found chained to her porch without food, water or shelter, according to court papers.

In addition to the impersonation offense, Szulc is facing additional charges of loitering and prowling at night, disorderly conduct and animal neglect. A summons was issued and a preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 14, according to online court records. She did not have an attorney listed. She could not immediately be reached.

A preliminary hearing on a drunken-driving charge from August in Salem is set for Nov. 23. She is scheduled to appear at the county courthouse Dec. 16 for possible entry into a probationary program in connection with two June cases filed by Washington Township police involving charges of false reports , according to online court records.

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