OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A registered sex offender who’s known for impersonating law enforcement was arrested yet again on Thursday, according to court records.
That man — Jeremy Dewitte, 44 — was arrested in Osceola County, court records show.
Dewitte made headlines in 2019 after he impersonated an officer while directing traffic for a funeral procession. During that incident, investigators said he reached for his gun during a fight with an actual deputy.
During that encounter, Dewitte yelled at the deputy, “You cannot drive in and out of my funeral” and “It doesn’t matter, get out of my escort, (expletive) boy,” records show.
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According to Dewitte, he was not impersonating a law enforcement officer but instead offering a safety service.
“We can direct traffic only in regard to our funeral. If somebody is pulling into our funeral (procession) and slamming on their brakes and causing the funeral to slam on their brakes, that’s putting them in danger. If we ask them to get out, we’re not directing them. I’m asking them to get out of my funeral. I’m not saying, ‘Turn here, go there, pull over.’ Never saying those words. I’m saying, ‘Get out of my funeral.’”
Jeremy Dewitte
At the time, he explained that he had been doing the job for 10 years without issue.
Dewitte was arrested twice more after that incident: once in 2021 when deputies spotted Dewitte armed and dressed as an officer, and again in 2022 on charges in both Orange and Osceola counties.
In 2005, Dewitte was convicted of sexual battery on a person 12 to 15 years old. As a result, he is not allowed to carry concealed weapons.
In Thursday’s arrest, court records show that Dewitte faces a charge of failing to report a change in vehicle ownership under the state’s sex offender statutes. He is held on no bond.
No additional information has been provided at this time.
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