Developer’s Son Is Arrested : Charge: George L. Argyros Jr. allegedly used sheriff’s medallion to force driver off Idaho road.

George L. Argyros Jr., the son of a prominent real estate developer, faces criminal charges in Idaho alleging that he used an Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council medallion to force a motorist off the road and threaten him with arrest, authorities said Monday.

Argyros, 28, of Newport Beach, whose father is George Argyros, head of Arnel Development Co. in Costa Mesa, was arrested March 3 on suspicion of impersonating a police officer after a traffic incident along Highway 75 outside Sun Valley, Ida.

Police say Argyros flashed the advisory council badge at a car he was passing and forced the driver off the road. Once the vehicle was stopped, Argyros ran up to the car and threatened the occupants with arrest, according to police reports.

The motorist, along with a second man who pulled up to the scene, wrote down Argyros’ license plate number and gave Idaho authorities a description. The young man was arrested a few hours later at an inn where he was staying in preparation for his wedding a few days later in Sun Valley.

Argyros allegedly used a medallion given to major donors and members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Advisory Council, a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1979 that supports local law enforcement. It is several inches wide and has a leather backing.

Blaine County Deputy Dist. Atty. Doug Nelson said Monday that he filed a felony count of impersonating a police officer and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving against Argyros. In Idaho, impersonating a police officer carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, Nelson said.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled at the Blaine County Courthouse for April 21, but Nelson said he is prepared to offer Argyros a plea bargain that would reduce the charges to misdemeanors and result in a 30-day jail term.

Argyros, who is a major fund-raiser for the Olive Crest Abused Children Foundation in Anaheim, has been released on $1,000 bail. He declined to comment Monday, but his attorney in Idaho, Michael Donovan, issued a statement.

The “police report of the events contains a distorted and completely untrue statement of what occurred,” Donovan said. “Mr. Argyros maintains his innocence and vehemently denies the allegations contained in the police report and believes it appears to be the result of a misunderstanding.”

Henry Fieguth, 35, of Ketchum, Ida., told authorities that he pulled his car over after Argyros showed him what appeared to be a law enforcement badge. Before that, Fieguth said, the young man was driving “erratically and crossing the double yellow line” behind him, almost rear-ending his car.

According to a police report, Argyros threatened Fieguth with arrest during the incident, allegedly saying that “his family owned a 27,000-square-foot house and that no local was going to give him a hard time.”

Argyros told authorities that he was in a hurry and honked his horn at Fieguth in an effort to get him to move out of the way. Once their cars were stopped on the roadside, he said he only wanted to talk to Fieguth about his driving.

When Fieguth became angry, Argyros said he pulled out the sheriff’s advisory council badge, hoping that it would get him “out of trouble.”

Darryl Wold, an attorney for the sheriff’s advisory council, said he was aware of only two or three other incidents in which someone supposedly misused a council medallion. The incidents, he said, did not result in arrests.

“The insignias look distinctively different so there will be no confusion” with real law enforcement badges, said Wold, who practices in Costa Mesa.

If advisory council members get into trouble trying to use the badges, Wold said, the council usually asks for them back. Wold would not confirm whether Argyros was a council member. He added that the Idaho incident would not prompt any changes in the way the medallions are issued.

“Obviously it’s not a law enforcement badge and I’ve never heard of anybody thinking it is a law enforcement badge,” Wold said. “If you take a close look at it, you can tell it’s not a badge. It says Advisory Council.”