The brother of former Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) is facing multiple charge for impersonating an officer after police in Connecticut found him with an arsenal of weapons, and witness said that he commandeered a boat.
According to a statement from the Connecticut State Police on Thursday, residents reported a man wearing military-style clothing and carrying a gun while walking on Sea View Drive in Old Lyme. The caller said that the man was seen in a "police type vehicle" equipped with antennas and "hide-away" lights."
Bruce W. Browne -- who spells his name differently than his brother -- told officers responding to the call that he was the owner of the vehicle, and he admitted to wearing battle dress uniform (BDU) pants and carry a 9mm weapon.
Inside of the vehicle, officers located three 9mm handguns, two sets of handcuffs, 12 fully-loaded magazines and over 200 rounds of ammunition. Browne also had law enforcement gear, including a tactical bullet-proof vest with the word "POLICE" on the front and back and a metal TSA badge.
"Further investigation revealed that Browne commandeered a boat earlier today by identifying himself as a 'Police/Coast Guard' official," the police statement said, adding that he stopped at least three vessels to check their boat registrations.
Browne had IDs from when he worked for the TSA and Coast Guard, but the Connecticut State Police determined that he was no longer affiliated with those agencies.
Browne was charged with impersonating an officer, interfering with a police officer and possession of a dangerous weapon in a motor vehicle. He was released on $50,000 bond and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Aug. 22.
The Coast Guard planned to conduct a separate investigation.
WSFB confirmed that Browne was the brother of the former Massachusetts senator. It was not immediately clear why the two men spelled their last names differently.
