A recently released prison inmate who pretended to be an airline pilot as a means to scam his way into vacation rental homes and steal belongings is now charged by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office with grand theft, providing false information for pawned items, and home or private business invasion by false personation.
OCSO Investigators say 45-year old Bruce Allen Cowart was wearing his phony airline clothing and carrying bogus airline identification when they took him into custody April 9th while he was driving a stolen truck down Highway 98 in Mary Esther.
Although Cowart is in custody, the investigation remains active and additional charges
are pending.
Investigators say between March 13th and his arrest, Cowart would pose as an airline pilot and convince owners of vacation rental units to allow him to stay on their properties prior to his first payment. Cowart would then remove televisions and other property to pawn for cash and disappear. He used the alias “Greg Johnson” on at least one occasion.
Okaloosa County victims include a unit owner at Destin West on Okaloosa Island, 1238 Miracle Strip Parkway, and the owner of a Destin rental home. The OCSO has recovered some of the stolen property and is working to recover more.
