A man claiming to be the newly hired police chief of Arapaho was arrested during a traffic stop in Weatherford on March 9.
Weatherford police say 46-year-old Jah Malachi Banks of Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, was pulled over in a Tesla Cyberturck after officers noticed a license plate mismatch. The plate belonged to a different Tesla model.
According to the police affidavit, Banks was driving with a suspended license and had removed and reused a plate from another vehicle—both misdemeanor offenses.
Banks allegedly told officers he was Arapaho’s new chief and showed what turned out to be a printout of an Oklahoma administrative code. Police also found weapons on him and in the vehicle, including a shotgun.
The town of Arapaho does not have a police department. All law enforcement matters are handled by the Custer County Sheriff’s Office, which is headquartered in Arapaho as it is the county seat.
Banks was released on bond, has no prior criminal history, and is due in court April 2.
