There Was No Fire Sale--Alleged Impostor Rings Up Only a Citation
A fire extinguisher salesman accused of flashing a phony fire marshal’s badge to drum up business may have had his career cut short when he allegedly tried the ploy at a Thousand Oaks hair salon.
Getting a haircut in the salon was a district attorney’s investigator who noticed the fake credential marked “California State Fire Marshal.” The plastic-coated card bore salesman Bruce Spencer’s photograph but his name was typed on a separate piece of paper that had been stapled to the outside.
The investigator promptly seized the badge. Spencer, 52, of Agoura Hills, faces criminal charges for his alleged attempt at enterprise.
Spencer was charged Tuesday with six misdemeanor counts of impersonating a fire marshal, three stemming from the incident at the hair salon. He has not been arrested, but is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 30.
Joe Narbonne, the owner of Stars and Stripes Fire Protection of Simi Valley, confirmed that Spencer worked as a salesman for the firm.
Narbonne said he does not encourage his workers to misrepresent themselves.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
