Judge sets bond for ex-convict accused of impersonating an officer, raping woman

TAMPA, Fla. - Justin Evans, a 35-year-old man accused of impersonating a police officer more than once and raping a woman, remains in the Hillsborough County Jail on several charges. 

On Wednesday, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Catherine Catlin set bond at $630,500 and said Evans was not present at his first court appearance because he was in isolation for COVID-19.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, on August 9, Evans pretended to be a police officer and pulled over a vehicle with three women inside. Evans ordered all three women out of the vehicle and told them to put their hands on the hood while he searched their bodies, the sheriff's office said. He then told one of the women that she was under arrest and tied her hands behind her back with a zip tie.

Investigators said he then placed the victim in the back seat of his car and drove her to a nearby apartment complex, where he sexually battered her in his vehicle. The sheriff's office said Evans then drove the victim back near the location where he initially stopped her and let her out of his car. The victim then called 911 to report the rape.

Additional charges were filed against Evans when another alleged victim came forward after reading media reports and recognizing the vehicle. This time the crime was captured on surveillance video. Deputies say it shows Evans driving a dark-colored Chevy Malibu, pretending to be a police officer and pulling over a woman near the corner of Brooks Street North and Busch Boulevard East. The video shows him making her get out of the car and patting her down while her seven-year-old child was inside the vehicle. Then he is seen leaving the area. 

Evans’ court-appointed public defender says he has only lived in Hillsborough County for five months and works as a barber.

Hillsborough prosecutor Adam Bugg pointed out he's also an ex-convict with roots in Missouri.

"The defendant has a double-armed robbery out of Missouri from 2006. He was sentenced to16 years in prison. Looks like he was released in late 2020 on that robbery," explained Bugg.

Evans is facing charges of sexual battery, assault, multiple counts of false imprisonment, and impersonating a law enforcement officer.

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