Police Impersonator Pleads No Contest

Allen Grabovetsky, 19, pleaded no contest at a July 19 hearing to a variety of charges, including impersonating a police officer Dec. 6, 2010, and now awaits a sentencing hearing on Sept. 9.

Grabovetsky was charged with four counts of impersonating a police officer on Dec. 6 2010, allegedly pulling over victims with a pickup truck with a siren and red lights in Millbrae, on Highway 101 near the San Francisco Airport, on Highway 1 and in Redwood City. He was also charged with two counts of making criminal threats by means of text message, one count of misdemeanor annoying or molesting a minor and one count of possession of marijuana, which was found on his person at the time he was stopped by Redwood City police on Dec. 6.

Grabovetsky was in custody for six months, and was enrolled in the Choices program for four of those six months to help him with an addiction problem, said his attorney Anthony Gibbs.

“The program has all sorts of milestones,” said Gibbs. “Allen completed four or five of the milestones, including things like anger management.”

Meanwhile, Grabovetsky has been out of custody since June 23, on $125,000 bail and enrolled in summer session classes at College of San Mateo.

At his July 19 hearing, Grabovetsky pleaded no contest to one of the counts of impersonating an officer, one count of possession of marijuana with intent to sell, one count of stalking and one count of annoying or molesting a minor. He is now scheduled for a Sept. 9 sentencing hearing in which a judge will weigh arguments of the defense and prosecution, as well as recommendations to be made by the county probation department.

In San Mateo County this sort of case typically carries a sentence of about three years of probation, with possible jail time as well, said Deputy District Attorney Marguerite Clipper, though the details of the sentence depend on the discretion of the judge.

The annoying or molesting of a minor charge also requires registration as a sex offender, said Clipper.

Grabovetsky, nevertheless, is expected to enroll at San Francisco State University in the fall, by means of a special program through Choices which enables a certain number of people of Grabovetsky’s background to enroll, said Gibbs.