Police Impersonator Sentenced to Five Years of Probation

Allen Grabovetsky, 19, who pleaded no contest on July 19 to a number of charges, including impersonating a police officer, was sentenced on Oct. 7 to five years of probation as well as time served.

Grabovetsky was charged with four counts of impersonating a police officer on Dec. 6, 2010; accused of pulling over victims with a pickup truck with a siren and red lights in Millbrae, on Highway 101 near the San Francisco Airport, on Highway 1 and in Redwood City. He was also charged with two counts of making criminal threats by means of text message, one count of misdemeanor annoying or molesting a minor and one count of possession of marijuana, which was found on his person at the time he was stopped by Redwood City police on Dec. 6, 2010.

Grabovetsky has been out of custody since June 23, 2011 on $125,000 bail, and is currently working full-time and enrolled, through the auspices of Project Rebound, in classes at San Francisco State University, as well as Skyline College— facts which his defense attorney, Anthony Gibbs, highlighted while arguing for a sentence of time served and five years of supervised probation.

Deputy District Attorney Marguerite Clipper, on the other hand, argued in favor of a sentence of one year in the county jail and five years supervised probation, the maximum called for.

“We ask for the full year and five year supervised probation,” said Clipper in court. “The full year sends the message home.”

Grabovetsky served 189 days prior to posting bail, during which time he participated in the program and completed several milestones within the program— including chemical dependency rehabilitation and anger management. With the addition of his credit for good behavior he has total credit for 279 days served, which means the full year sentence would result in an additional 76 days of jail time.

“My client is 19 years-old and he’s going to have to register, under 290, as a sex offender,” argued defense attorney Gibbs. “That is going to have serious consequences for my client. To put him back in jail when he’s got his life on track, in the way of work and school, would not serve the ends of justice.”

Judge Robert Foiles chose to impose the sentence requested by the defense, time served and five years of probation, as well as requiring that Grabovetsky not have any contact with the minor victim of the harassment and that he not return to the Hillsdale Mall. He is also required to register as a narcotics offender and as a sex offender.

Grabovetsky was also ordered not to have any contact with the victim of the threatening text messages, despite his attorney’s presentation of a declaration to the court which both the victim, who was a friend of Grabovetsky, and the victim’s father signed— declaring that the police report on the subject was misleading and that neither ever took the threat to be genuine.

“You don’t get a whole lot of traction going to the court and saying that you don’t feel that the probation department has been fair to your client, but that’s how I feel.” said Gibbs of the probation department’s report to the court.

Nevertheless, despite the declaration, Grabovetsky was ordered to have no contact with any of the victims and to register as a sex and narcotics offender.