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Orem • A trial has been set for a self-described activist accused of impersonating a police officer after he detained a Brigham Young University student suspected of running a stop sign and being in the country illegally.
Mark Vreeland's court-appointed attorney, Grant C. Nagamatsu, asked Orem City Justice Court Judge Reed S. Parkin on Wednesday to set a date for a jury trial.
Parkin scheduled the trial for Feb. 21 at 9:30 a.m. He also scheduled a final pretrial conference for Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
Vreeland, 58, did not speak during the hearing and refused to comment as he left the courthouse. If convicted of the class B misdemeanor, he could spend six months in jail and be fined $1,000.
The Orem resident is accused of chasing down Alcides Souza, a BYU student from Brazil, after Souza allegedly ran a four-way stop sign near Vreeland's home.
Wearing a hat with the letters "ICE" and "COP" on it, Vreeland allegedly claimed he was a police officer and grilled the student, here on a visa, about his immigration status.
Vreeland previously explained that "COP" meant "Citizen on Patrol." In an earlier interview, he also acknowledged telling Souza he was a cop, but only because he said Souza was refusing to get back in his car when Vreeland confronted him.
Twitter: @donaldwmeyers —
What's next?
P Mark Vreeland will be back in court on Feb. 8 for a pretrial hearing on the misdemeanor charge accusing him of impersonating a police officer.