BATON ROUGE — Charges were dropped against a former Baton Rouge school official who was previously accused of impersonating a police officer in 2024, according to a report by The Advocate. 

According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, James Bell Jr. allegedly apprehended a potential burglary suspect who he claimed was attempting to steal wiring from Zion Charter School on Sept. 6, 2024. 

Police said that Bell allegedly identified himself as a reserve law enforcement officer from the Clinton Police Department before detaining the suspect at gunpoint.

In June, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney's Office voluntarily dismissed his charges, which included aggravated battery and falsely impersonating a police officer. 

According to the paper, Bell's status as a peace officer was an issue in the case, with court records showing that Bell took oaths in both 2014 and 2018 to serve as a reserve officer for the Clinton Police Department. 

However, upon the hiring of a new police chief in late 2018, several reserve officers were let go, including Bell.

While Bell was never recomissioned, his attorney argued that the new police chief never took steps to decommission him, with both of Bell's commissions remaining on file with the clerk of court's office in East Feliciana Parish.