A man accused of impersonating a police officer last week near a Lawrence County college told authorities he also posed as a law enforcement officer at Slippery Rock University and Grove City College.

The suspect, Thomas S. Turpie, 69, of Etna, Allegheny County, claimed he was armed with a handgun when he made the visits.

While officials at SRU and Grove City College do not believe Turpie was on or near their campuses, the suspect was arrested at his home Wednesday stemming from his Feb. 16 visit at Westminster College in New Wilmington.

He is charged with impersonating a public servant and disorderly conduct and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.

New Wilmington police, in charging documents, said Turpie stopped at a coffee shop near Westminster College and approached female students, claiming to be an investigator for a Pittsburgh attorney.

The defendant told the students of a purported group of criminals living on campus who were kidnapping coeds and forcing them to perform sex acts at a “pimp house,” according to a police report.

Afterward, he claimed the females were murdered, police said.

The suspect claimed he was there to warn the students and to refer them to an attorney.

He said he had made similar warning to students at SRU, Grove City College and Indiana (Pa.) University.

When he was confronted by the coffee shop owner, Turpie identified himself as a police officer. The owner's suspicion only grew when he could not produce a badge or other professional identification.

Next, said Wilmington Police Chief Carmen Piccirillo, the defendant claimed he was an FBI agent and warned the owner that she could be charged with interfering with his investigation.

He eventually left but the owner used her cell phone camera to get a photograph of the suspect and the license plate of his car.

That helped borough police identify Turpie.

The FBI subsequently joined in the investigation and on Tuesday an agent interviewed Turpie at his home.

He admitted what happened at Westminster College, police said. He again claimed to have made similar stops at SRU, Grove City College and IUP, the police report said.

In all those visits, he said, he carried with him a .380-caliber pistol.

Police said the FBI agent seized a .380-caliber handgun and a rifle from Turpie's home. Piccirillo noted that the defendant has a valid concealed-carry permit.

SRU spokesman Rita Abent said this morning campus police “had absolutely no calls, complaints or knowledge about (Turpie).”

Grove City College Police Chief Dean Osborne said his department also has no report of the defendant being there.