A Hollywood woman is facing charges after Florida Highway Patrol officials said she was caught driving a car that resembled an FHP trooper’s vehicle.
Iulia Pugachev, 28, was charged with imitating an FHP vehicle’s colors, failing to register a motor vehicle, and misusing a dealer or manufacturer license plate, FHP officials said.
FHP officials said troopers were conducting a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon on the Palmetto Expressway near Northwest 58th Street when they noticed a black and tan vehicle with a light bar drive by.
The troopers pulled over the vehicle, which was being driven by Pugachev, officials said.
In addition to the paint job and blue and white light bar, troopers found the vehicle had an emergency siren, a decal that closely resembled a police badge, and the name “FSO Guard” on it, officials said.
Pugachev at first said she was just test-driving the car, but later admitted she was the owner of FSO Guard, a security company, an arrest report said.
She said she had the light bar installed at a body shop, then decided to have it wrapped in black and tan colors.
“Mrs. Pugachev stated she requested the wrap business next to the body shop to wrap the vehicle in black and tan because she had previously seen FHP’s marked patrol units and fell in love with the color scheme,” the report said.
Officials said it’s illegal for a vehicle to be painted with the same color scheme as FHP vehicles.
The vehicle was impounded.