Charges: Man played detective before showing handcuffs & threatening to detain victim

Police say a man played a fake private detective before he followed a woman out of a Mountain Lake gas station and threatened to detain her with the handcuffs he was carrying.

Jason James Lambright, 46, was charged last week with felony false imprisonment and gross misdemeanor unlicensed private detective in Cottonwood County Court.

A criminal complaint says Lambright was at the Casey’s store claiming to be a private investigator and asking questions about dealing drugs out of the store. An employee called police.

Lambright then allegedly followed a female out of the store and approached her. The complaint says Lambright asked the victim if she had time to talk for a few minutes, which she declined.  The complaint says that’s when Lambright whipped out a pair of handcuffs and told the victim: “Well, then I can detain you.”

The victim was able to get quickly into her car and leave.  Police say she took a photo of Lambright holding the handcuffs. The female told responding officers she had heard Lambright inside the store claiming to be an investigator as she purchased her items.

The complaint says St. James police had a similar encounter with Lambright, who allegedly had handcuffs, batons, and mace, and said he was hired to find out if there was drug trafficking out of Casey’s.