A Le Mars man is facing several charges after allegedly impersonating a police officer.

Forty-five-year-old John Beardshear was arrested by Sioux City police Saturday. According to the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, a woman called 911 Saturday to report the car she was in had been stopped near Merrill by a man in a car with a blue strobe light. No law enforcement officers had notified the communication center that they were out on a traffic stop.

The 911 dispatcher contacted Woodbury County authorities and told the woman to drive to Sioux City. Beardshear is charged with impersonating a police officer, eluding, possession of marijuana and driving while his license was suspended.

A Sioux City police officer says the woman did the right thing by calling to see if the man was a police officer. The officer says if you don’t have a cellphone, drive to a place where you can get someone’s attention so you can determine if the person trying to stop you is a police officer.