Mississippi Man Dubbed ‘Scuba Steve’ Arrested for Impersonating Police Officer at Ocean Springs Arts Festival

A Mississippi man has been charged with impersonating a police officer after authorities say he flashed a fake badge when festival staff asked him to move his illegally parked vehicle at a popular arts event on the Gulf Coast. The suspect, who has been nicknamed ‘Scuba Steve’ online due to his appearance in booking photos, now faces up to three years in prison and fines of up to $5,000 if convicted.

The incident unfolded at the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival, one of the largest fine arts festivals in the Southeast, which draws an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 visitors to the small coastal city of Ocean Springs each November. The two-day event, named after the renowned Shearwater Pottery artist Peter Anderson, features hundreds of juried artists and vendors and has become a signature cultural and economic event for Jackson County. Parking is notoriously tight during the festival, with local authorities routinely deploying additional personnel to manage traffic and enforce restrictions along the crowded streets near the festival grounds.

According to the account released by Ocean Springs police, Johnson allegedly parked his vehicle in an unauthorized zone. When festival staff approached and asked him to relocate, he is accused of producing what authorities described as a fraudulent badge and claiming to be a law enforcement officer in an apparent effort to avoid being moved. Staff members contacted actual police, who determined Johnson had no law enforcement credentials and placed him under arrest. The viral spread of his booking photo, which bears a loose resemblance to the ‘Scuba Steve’ toy character made famous in the 1999 Adam Sandler film ‘Big Daddy,’ has drawn widespread attention to what otherwise might have been a minor local arrest.

The case is expected to proceed through Jackson County courts in the coming weeks, where prosecutors will need to prove Johnson knowingly represented himself as a peace officer with the intent to deceive. Police impersonation cases can carry particularly serious weight in jurisdictions where actual officers have been harmed or where victims have suffered at the hands of impostors conducting fake traffic stops or unauthorized searches. While this incident appears to involve a comparatively minor pretext — avoiding a parking dispute — Mississippi prosecutors have historically pursued such charges vigorously, arguing that any false claim of police authority undermines public trust and officer safety. A preliminary hearing is anticipated in the near future.