A football player at Portland State University is accused of impersonating a police officer after allegedly pulling a woman over in Tigard last month, according to Sherwood police.

Troy Matthew Bacon, 20, was indicted on one count of criminal impersonation, said Capt. Mark Daniel, a Sherwood police spokesman. Bacon was booked into the Washington County Jail.

Troy Matthew Bacon

Police started investigating Bacon on March 22 after a Sherwood officer spotted a dispute between drivers off Oregon 99W in Tigard, Daniel said in a news release.

The officer was on his way back to Sherwood from Portland about midnight when he saw a Dodge Charger blocking a Honda Accord on Southwest Pacific Highway and Greenburg Road. He noticed a man yelling at a woman as he passed the cars, Daniel said.

The officer asked if the two were OK, Daniel said, and the man identified himself as an off-duty officer. The man showed the officer a badge, which read, "Junior Probation Officer," according to a news release, and mentioned working part time at the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in California.

The officer identified the man as Bacon and discovered that the Charger was a rental car with no emergency equipment, Daniel said. Bacon told the officer that he had pulled the woman over because she was speeding and driving recklessly.

Tigard police joined the Sherwood officer at the scene to help investigate. Daniel said officers at the scene decided to not arrest Bacon at the time, but he didn't know why.

Police continued to investigate, and officers arrested Bacon on Tuesday morning after a grand jury indictment.

"As far as we know, it's an isolated incident," Daniel said.

Police determined Bacon had a connection to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, but the exact position he held is unclear, Daniel said.

According to his football profile on Portland State's website, Bacon joined the team as an offensive lineman this year. He came to Portland from Boise State and is originally from Oak Hills, California, his profile says.

Scott Gallagher, a Portland State spokesman, said Bacon is a sophomore and this term has been his first at the school. Gallagher said the school will wait until the criminal case has resolved before taking any action.

Bacon, according to his profile, is majoring in communications and interested in a career in law enforcement.

-- Rebecca Woolington

503-294-4049; @rwoolington