Man Pretended To Act As Sheriff

Man Pretended To Act As Sheriff
Man

SNOW HILL — A Girdletree man has been charged with impersonating an officer after allegedly pretending to be Worcester County Sheriff Reggie Mason in an email dispute over the sale of dogs on Craig’s List.
Michael Sponseller, 43, of Girdletree, had placed an ad on Craig’s List in an attempt to sell dogs. Sponseller then engaged in an argument with another individual through email over the legality of selling dogs through the popular website. Through an email exchange, Sponseller allegedly identified himself as Sheriff Reggie Mason and threatened to arrest the other individual for harassing him about the advertisement on Craig’s List.
Detectives obtained the email exchanges including the indication that Sponseller was portraying himself as Mason and the threats of arrest over the ad placement.
Meanwhile, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office is reminding the community that Mason does not utilize Craig’s List to sell animals or other items, and has not engaged in email exchanges with anyone over Craig’s List.