55-Year-Old Loma Linda Man Arrested for Impersonating a Firefighter

LOMA LINDA – A 55-year-old Loma Linda man was arrested after a routine traffic stop led to a finding that deputies did not expect. On Tuesday morning, at approximately 9:04 a.m. a deputy from the Central Station conducted the traffic stop of a 2005 black Mercedes Benz on Barton Road near Mountain Avenue in Loma Linda.

The driver did stop the vehicle pulling over to the right-hand side of the road. When making contact with the driver, later identified as Ronald Dota, he told the deputy that he was a Battalion Chief. Through investigation the deputy learned that Dota had a suspended driver’s license out of the State of Arizona, officials said. Dota was also found to bot be a member of any fire department. During a vehicle search, deputies found a dangerous weapon that was located inside of his vehicle within reaching distance. Other items, which included; false LA County Fire Department credentials, hidden emergency lights and exterior magnet mounted antennas.

Dota was arrested for the above charges and booked into the Central Detention Center. A search warrant was authored for his residence and granted by an honorable judge of the San Bernardino Superior Court. The search warrant was served at his apartment without incident, where additional property belonging to LA County Fire Department was located and recovered.

A search warrant was subsequently requested, granted, and executed to Dota’s apartment home. During the search, deputies located L.A.County Fire Department property. Dota was arrested and booked into the Central Detention Center for possession of a dangerous weapon, impersonating a firefighter and false government identification/credentials.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or who have had contact with Dota, where he identified himself as a fire official, is urged to contact Central Station at (909)387-3545. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip Hotline at www.wetip.com

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