BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A Bowling Green courtroom witnessed a delay in the sentencing of a man convicted of impersonating a police officer Tuesday, further complicated by a decision to grant bail pending the resolution of his legal challenges. Robert Sharp, 37, was scheduled to learn his fate last week but will now wait until May 27 as his legal team pushes for a new trial and a judgment of acquittal, arguing flaws in the prosecution’s case.
Sharp’s attorney filed motions questioning the sufficiency of evidence which led to his conviction earlier in March. The Nashville resident was charged with the felony after being accused of identifying himself as a law enforcement officer to two 11-year-old girls, an allegation stemming from an incident on Sept. 28, 2022. The jury, having deliberated over testimony presented during a three-day trial, found Sharp guilty and recommended a one-year incarceral sentence.
During the postponed sentencing, sharp was granted an unsecured release from Warren County Regional Jail, where he had been held since his conviction on March 14. His release pivoted on technical considerations concerning the legal motions presented by his defense.
The case against Sharp alleged that he stopped his vehicle next to the young girls as they were walking home from school, offering candy and claiming to be a police officer after displaying a badge. The defense argued that Sharp had merely identified himself as a former officer and displayed a badge from his employment with a Nashville-based private security company. They contended he was engaging with the community as part of his campaign for the position of 1st District Constable.
Throughout the trial, testimony painted a conflicting picture of the encounter. The girls reported a disturbing experience believing Sharp was an officer, a claim bolstered by their descriptions of his car and clothing, which they regarded as similar to those of police. Sharp, however, testified that he wasn’t impersonating an officer but just interacting with the community post his workday in Nashville.
His attorney, Ken Meredith, argued that the evidence did not substantiate the conviction. He asserted that the offering of candy wasn’t criminal and pointed out that there were no distinctive police markings on Sharp’s car. Moreover, he emphasized, no pictures were taken during or after the incident to corroborate the girls’ testimonies.
During the legal proceedings, the prosecution insisted that the girls’ belief that Sharp was a police officer was sufficiently established during the trial, particularly noting that their subsequent change in behavior, ceasing to walk home from school, underscored the impression Sharp left on them.
Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Kori Beck Bumgarner expressed disappointment with the judge’s recent decision but indicated hope for a resolution in May. In response to the filed motions, Judge J.B. Hines has set a deadline for additional written arguments from both parties.
As this case unfolds, it touches on critical questions of community safety, the integrity of law enforcement impersonation laws, and the standards of evidence required in criminal proceedings. With a new sentencing date set, both the defense and prosecution are bracing for a further round of arguments that will determine the final outcome of a troubling impersonation allegation.
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