Man sentenced for landing helicopter at SAS to impress woman charged with impersonating officer
A Raleigh man sentenced to six months in jail earlier this year for impersonating a three-star Army general in order to land a chartered helicopter at SAS Institute is now facing charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
An arrest warrant says Christian Gerald Desgroux, 58, of 2407 Mount Vernon Church Road, called 911 on Nov. 27 and told a dispatcher that he was a federal officer who was following a white van believed to have a bomb inside.
According to the warrant, Desgroux told the dispatcher that there were 10 people inside the van who had a device designed to explode and destroy the vehicle on Wake Forest Road.
When Raleigh police officers arrived at the scene, Desgroux continued to represent himself as a federal officer, the warrant states.
Desgroux is facing a felony charge of making a false bomb report and misdemeanor charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and making a false report to police.
In June, Desgroux pleaded guilty to one count of pretending to be a military officer after he landed a chartered helicopter at SAS Institute in order to impress a woman.
The helicopter landed on a soccer field at SAS headquarters on Nov. 6, 2017 and Desgroux stepped out wearing a military battle uniform implying the rank of Army lieutenant general, according to authorities. Federal agents say Desgroux told a security officer he was there to pick up a female employee and take her to Fort Bragg for a classified briefing authorized by President Donald Trump.
The woman did have a visit planned with Desgroux to assist with a design project, but she expected him to arrive by car, authorities said. Instead, they went on a 30-minute helicopter ride around Raleigh.
The woman, who is married, said she thought Desgroux was trying to impress her by flying her around, authorities said.
Desgroux has pretended to be a general before, despite never serving in the military, prosecutor Barbara Kocher said in July.
