Man pleads guilty to illegally wearing U.S. Marine

OFF THE WIRE
Source: dailytribune.com

Ferndale, MI - A Sterling Heights man police said illegally wore a U.S. Marine uniform in a downtown nightclub and falsely told police he just returned from Iraq pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Thursday.
De Hieu Tran, 41, pleaded guilty at a pre-trial hearing in Ferndale 43rd District Court to charges of wearing a uniform when not in service and driving on a suspended license, according to court records.

He faces up to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine on the uniform charge and is scheduled to be sentenced in Ferndale District Court at 1 p.m. April 8.

Ferndale police said they spotted Tran at the Boogie Fever nightclub about 11:30 p.m. May 22, 2009 wearing a camouflage Marine uniform.

"He stated he had just returned from his fourth tour of duty in Iraq a couple of hours earlier," said Ferndale police Sgt. Patrick Jones. "He had captain's bars on the collars of the uniform. The officer questioned him and determined he was impersonating an officer."

In a separate case, Sterling Heights police arrested Tran on Jan. 19 on two counts of identity theft and two counts of illegal use of a financial transaction device. He faces a preliminary examination at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Sterling Heights 41A District Court.

Tran has been wanted by Ferndale police on an outstanding warrant since last year. He posted bond in the Ferndale case when Sterling Heights police arrested him in January, police said.