Florida principal poses as officer — and Shaq’s cousin — to evade ticket, FHP says

Tampa Bay Times | By Devoun Cetoute | January 9, 2025

A South Florida principal talked himself into handcuffs Tuesday during a routine traffic stop that could have ended in a ticket, authorities said. However, during the stop, his decision to allegedly flash a phony cop badge and then double down on being on the police force once further questioned landed him a one-way ticket to a jail cell.

Around 4:30 p.m., Karlton Odell Johnson, principal of Cypress Run Education Center in Pompano Beach, was driving his Kia Stinger down the Florida Turnpike when he passed Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Bernard Major, an arrest report reads. Major noticed the car’s tints were “very dark” and had an altered license plate — he decided to pull Johnson over.

Stopped on the side of the turnpike in Broward, Major went over to knock on Johnson’s window. But before he could, he heard Johnson say, “I’m an officer, I’m an officer” through his rolled-up window, even flashing a black wallet with a gold star that appeared to be a Broward County Sheriff’s Office badge.

When Major asked for his license and registration, Johnson said, “I’m one of you. I thought we treat each other better. “I’m a deputy.”

Major was initially fooled into believing Johnson was a deputy, the report read, but he wanted more information. Johnson again confirmed that he worked at the Broward Sheriff’s Office and that he was a reserve deputy. He added in, unprompted, that he is Shaquille O’Neal’s cousin — it’s unclear whether that was factual.

Major stepped away and decided to contact the Broward Sheriff’s Office. They said Johnson is not and has never been employed by the sheriff’s office in any capacity.

Upon further inspection, Major noticed the “badge” Johnson showed had the word “honorary” on it. Johnson was promptly arrested and charged with impersonating an officer.

Broward County Public Schools said in a statement Johnson was reassigned pending the outcome of the criminal investigation, and the assistant principal at Cypress Run Education Center will take over Johnson’s job.

Johnson is well-known in the Pompano Beach area as the longtime principal at Blanche Ely High, where he was named Principal of the Year in 2016, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.