Man suspected of impersonating police officer arrested

A man who impersonated a police officer in an attempted to kidnap a woman late last month has been arrested, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

Shannon W. Stover, 46, was arrested Saturday on an outstanding felony warrant and on suspicion of one count of first-degree kidnapping, two counts of first-degree rape and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, the police department said in a news release. He was booked into the Clark County Jail.

Stover was arrested when Vancouver police conducted a search of a home in the 14600 block of Southeast Eighth Street in Vancouver. That’s where their investigation led following interviews with the woman in the Nov. 27 attempted kidnapping and another victim in a Nov. 26 incident that had gone unreported, according to police.

“The investigation is ongoing, and detectives believe there are likely additional victims and anticipate additional charges,” the news release said. Police asked anyone with information related to the investigation to call the Vancouver police tip line at 360-487-7399.

In the Nov. 27 incident, a man impersonating a police officer attempted to kidnap a woman in the Ellsworth Springs neighborhood after the woman had arranged to meet with a man she met through social media, according to police. She, and a male companion who drove her, arrived near Southeast Maxon Road and 19th Street shortly before midnight and saw a vehicle with flashing lights approaching from behind.

They stopped the vehicle, under the impression they were being pulled over by the police, the Vancouver Police Department said. A man wearing what looked like a police uniform approached the victim’s vehicle, pulled the passenger out, handcuffed her and put her inside his vehicle.

The victim managed to get out. She and her male companion quickly realized the man was not a real police officer, and both fled on foot. The police said neither was badly hurt, and that the suspect drove away.