A Milton man was arrested last week for allegedly impersonating a firefighter with the East Milton Volunteer Fire Department.

Ernest Holley, 39, of Milton, was arrested May 23 and charged with fraud-impersonation and failure to comply with the Solicitation of Contributions Act.

A Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office deputy pulled over Holley for a windshield wiper violation on April 26 while the man was driving a white Oldsmobile four-door sedan in the parking lot of Parkmore Plaza, according to his arrest report.

The deputy issued Holley a written warning for the traffic infraction, returned his driver’s license and registration and asked if Holley would consent to a search of his vehicle, which Holley did.

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Inside the Oldsmobile, the deputy found a red dashboard light frequently used by firefighters and a portable radio scanner modified for fire department calls, the report stated.

The deputy also noted that Holley was wearing an East Milton Volunteer Fire Department T-shirt and asked whether he was a fireman there.

According to the arrest report, Holley replied, "No I got the T-shirt from a local Goodwill store."

Investigators called Robert Toole Jr., fire chief for the East Milton Volunteer Fire Department 15 and asked if he had received any complaints about impersonation of firefighters, the report stated.

Toole told investigators that he had, in fact, received recent complaints about a thin, white man pretending to be a firefighter. He also said the fake firefighter was said to be seen driving a white sedan.

One person reported to the fire department that a man had entered his backyard, claiming to be a firefighter, and demanded he extinguish a fire in his yard. The man began to argue with the resident and then "the subject eventually left the citizen’s yard," according to Holley's arrest report.

Another person reported that a man matching Holley's description was spotted going door-to-door soliciting donations.

When Holley agreed to questioning by law enforcement, he allegedly told deputies that "he had fallen on hard times and needed money," the report stated.

Holley was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail on May 23 with a $7,500 bond. County records indicate he was released from custody the following day.

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.