Mayor. Not cop.Sean Guard is not a police officer. He may be mayor of Washougal, Washington. And he may have a car with flashing lights on it. But let the court record show that he’s not in fact a cop. Such a determination was made Cowlitz County District Court today when Guard pleaded guilty to charges of impersonating an officer. The Columbian

reports that the mayor has already paid a $500 fine, but must now perform 25 hours of community service. The incident happened last December. As we reported at the time, Guard was stopped on I-5 near Kelso after multiple reports were called in about some dude driving down the freeway with flashing lights on, forcing cars to pull to the side. When the officer asked Guard what the hell he was doing, he explained “They’re in the left lane and they’re going under the speed limit.”Guard was then asked whether he was a law enforcement officer, to which he responded. “No. I’m the mayor.”In response to his plea, Guard sent a letter to reporters and others in which he gives a half-hearted apology “for doing anything that would cause another motorist to contact authorities.”Bizarrely, he also says that the main lesson he’s learned from all of this is that he won’t ever help anyone on the side of the road again. This incident has changed my wife and I as individuals. We are the kind of people who would stop and help people who are broken down on the side of the road, lending a phone to call for help, changing a tire and even giving people a ride home or to help. All of that has changed. Unfortunately as a result of all of this we do not even take the chance that someone will misconstrue any intentions or offers of assistance.So there you go, Washougal. Don’t expect your mayor to force you to the side of the road because you’re driving too slow anymore. But also don’t expect him to help you if you’re already there, broken down. Or something.