Man impersonates cop, threatens residents in Lakeville
LAKEVILLE, MINNESOTA - On December 3rd, 2023, officers with the Lakeville Police Department responded to a residence where Davis Dupree Powell had been reportedly threatening occupants.
As officers responded to the area, they located Powell walking to his vehicle parked behind the residence of one of the victims. Powell denied knocking on any of the doors at the residence and reportedly claimed to have been looking for his phone and wallet. The police noted that his wallet and phone were in his vehicle. Powell was wearing a jean jacket with a white patch on it, which matched the description police were given.
The first victim that officers spoke with stated that she had been at the bar with a couple of friends and called an Uber around 2 am when the bar was closing. Two males approached them and asked if they could give them a ride home. The victim described one male as a tall African American wearing a jean jacket with white patches. She stated she couldn’t remember exactly what was said to her but that she got a ride home with a different group from the bar. She stated that she arrived home around 2:30 am. At around 3:15 am, she received a surveillance video notification. On the video, she saw a man walking up her driveway wearing a jean jacket with a white patch. She also stated that she had received texts that someone was knocking on her door from a friend who was also staying at her residence, victim 2.
Victim 2 reported to officers that they heard knocking on the door. When she went to the door to answer it, she said she armed herself with a knife. When Victim 2 went to confront Powell, a verbal altercation ensued. While Victim 2 and Powell were arguing, Powell called Victim 1, which led to a voicemail on Victim 1's phone of what Powell was saying during the verbal altercation. When police reviewed the surveillance footage and the voicemail recording, they found that during the altercation, Powell stated he was an “undercover police officer,” “you don’t want to go to jail tonight,” “I’m a cop, I always win,” and “I have authority.” There was a pause in the voice recording, and then Powell could be heard saying, “I’ll be back with an AK47 B****” and “I’ll be back B****.” The recording reportedly continued with him repeatedly saying to Victim 2 that he would be back.
Victim 1 also told officers that they had also received a text message from an unknown number that said, “Kiss your loved one very tight tonight because he pulled a knife on my friend, and he’s lucky my friend didn’t retaliate with his AK47. All he wanted was to check on your safety. This could have ended badly for you. You ain’t mess with ex-military or ex-cops”. The message also included Victim 1's full name and birthdate and then said, “Thank god you’re not planning your friend's funeral”.
It was reported that Victim 2 also received a text message from another unknown number, with a picture showing their residence, and then a follow-up text that said Victim 2's full name and, “Good morning. I’m [Victim 1’s] ex-boyfriend. I’ll give you a pass on last night. Don’t mess with an ex-cop.”
According to the criminal complaint, Davis Powell would end up being charged with Felony Threats of Violence (intent to terrorize) and Gross Misdemeanor Impersonating a Peace Officer.
Threats of Violence come with a sentence of 0-5 years and/or a $3,000-$10,000 fine.
Impersonating a Peace Officer comes with a sentence of 0-1 year and/or a $900-$3,000 fine.
Written by: Kayla Reed