[lesliep]

Barber

Miller
A Bunnell man may never get to be a law enforcement officer after being accused of impersonating one while trying to help a friend, according to a sheriff's arrest report.
Corey John Miller, 21, who says he's a law enforcement student at Daytona State College, went with Tyler Jay Barber, also 21, to a Palm Coast home about 1:30 a.m. Saturday in hopes of taking Barber's daughter from the home.
Robert Morris, who called Flagler County sheriff's deputies to his Evansville Lane house after receiving a knock on his door early Saturday morning, said Miller identified himself as a "Flagler County police officer." He put his foot in the door, preventing Morris from shutting it, and punched Morris in the face as he tried to close the door, according to an arrest report.
Morris -- who could not be reached Monday -- told investigators he was able to push Miller out of the doorway and closed the door. Morris' relationship to the child is not made clear in the arrest report.
Morris didn't recognize Miller, but he recognized Barber, who was standing behind him. Barber -- who was arrested in November on charges of aggravated battery of a pregnant person, court records show -- was charged Saturday with violation of probation. He was later released on $750 bail and could not be reached for comment.
Miller was charged with battery and impersonating a police officer. He was released from the Flagler County Inmate Facility on $1,250 bail. Later, he said the incident was "misconstrued."
"I put myself in a position with the wrong person, at the wrong place and the wrong time," he said Monday. "And I put my foot in his (Robert Morris') door."
But Miller -- who says he served in the Army and has a wife and two children -- denied impersonating an officer.
"I told him I went to the police academy. I was wearing plaid shorts, a brown shirt and a camo hat. I didn't say I was a police officer."
At the jail, Miller told investigators in a sworn statement that he and Barber identified themselves and asked to take Barber's daughter. He said Morris became "irate and angry," and they left.
"I've never been arrested," Miller said. "This has gotten blown out of proportion. I'm talking to a lawyer."