A school official said teachers knew that the man, Robert Thomas Anderson Jr., no longer was a police officer and was only helping out with an after-school program.

Anderson's lawyers say the charges are an attempt by Lincoln County Sheriff Jerry Bowman to hurt a potential political opponent.

David Roach, superintendent for Lincoln County Schools, confirmed that Anderson was invited by school officials into the schools to speak at an after-school program. Roach was at an out-of-town meeting and confirmed the information through Tina Black, a receptionist for the county school board.

"In no way, shape or form was [Anderson] out of line," she said. "It was reported to Mr. Roach that he did an excellent job."

According to the criminal complaint filed in Lincoln County Magistrate Court, Anderson went to Duval Middle School on Oct. 13 wearing a Chesapeake police uniform. He also had a badge, gun and German shepherd.

Anderson gave presentations to students, saying he was a police officer and the dog was a K-9 drug officer, the criminal complaint states.

"Mr. Anderson has also went to the Midway elementary school, as well as he has done this for some time according to the statements of the staff at both schools," according to the complaint.

Anderson is charged with impersonating a law-enforcement officer and possessing a deadly weapon on the premises of educational facilities.

Anderson's attorney, Bill Forbes, said the decision to arrest his client was a political one made by Bowman, the sheriff.

"[Anderson] made the unfortunate mistake of saying to someone he wanted to run for sheriff in Lincoln County," Forbes said. "The next thing he knows, he is arrested for impersonating a police officer, which is something he was not doing."

According to a story published by the Lincoln Journal, Bowman led deputies who arrested Anderson at his Alum Creek home on Oct. 22. Neither Anderson nor Bowman returned phone calls Friday afternoon.

Chesapeake Police Chief Jack Ice said in a statement that he provided the police uniform to Anderson "for the sole purpose of wearing his former uniform for two drug-awareness programs at two school locations in Lincoln County."

Those events were at Midway Elementary School on Oct. 13 and Duval Middle School on Oct. 14. Anderson returned the uniform to the department on Oct. 15, Ice wrote.

Forbes gave a copy of Ice's statement to the Saturday Gazette-Mail on Friday.

In it, he confirmed that Anderson worked for the department from January through April, and then left. Ice said Anderson was not fired, as the criminal complaint states.

"He quit," Ice said. "He was a good officer."

Prior to his employment with Chesapeake, Anderson was a civilian employee with the State Police for 12 years, said State Police spokesman Sgt. Michael Baylous.

Anderson was recommended by people in the Alum Creek and Griffithsville communities to do the school presentation, Black said. There were people in the school who knew Anderson, Black said.

"In these programs, they seek out people that can speak to children, give a positive attitude. That is how he got there as a presenter," Black said. "There are teachers in that school whose own children attend the school. They are in no way going to put any students in harm's way. Certainly not their own."

According to the state law cited in the criminal complaint against Anderson, impersonating a police officer requires "intent to deceive another person."

State law regarding the charge of possessing a deadly weapon on school property says the statute doesn't apply to "a person specifically authorized by the board of education of the county or principal of the school where the property is located to conduct programs with valid educational purposes."

According to a Lincoln County Schools employee who did not want to be identified, Anderson didn't have a handgun when he entered the schools.

Jesse Forbes, who with his father represents Anderson, said the Sheriff's Department is accusing Anderson of doing things he simply wasn't doing.

"He was doing nothing more than trying to help kids understand the role of police in society," he said. "It's unfortunate you have these types of accusations when there are real crimes that could be investigated."

Reach Gary Harki at gha...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5163.