A former Washingtonville police officer has been indicted by a Federal Grand Jury on one count of impersonating a United States Marshal.

According to the indictment handed up last week and unsealed on Tuesday, 26-year-old Logan Malik pretended to be a Marshal on April 24, claiming he was gathering information about a hate group known as skinheads.

Malik, who was arrested on the same day after local police were called to the Holiday Inn and Sheetz gas station in Boardman, had already pleaded not guilty in Mahoning County Court to impersonating a peace officer.

The local charges were dropped after prosecutors learned of the federal indictment.

During a video hearing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday, a magistrate set Malik's bond at $2,000 and set other conditions for his release from federal custody. 

Malik allegedly told a witness that U.S. Marshals had arrested five "skinheads" earlier at the mall and said the witness should "call him, not 911" if any "skinheads" were spotted in the area.

The witness said Malik then wrote down a phone number on a piece of paper, alongside the words "U.S. Marshal Offc. Malik" and "Northeast Ohio Violent Crimes Task Force."

The witness told police Malik had a gun and a badge on his hip that "appeared to be fake." The witness also said Malik had police radio traffic coming over his cell phone.

When the witness became suspicious and requested a business card, they told police Malik could not provide one.

According to the police report, when Malik stepped out of the vehicle he was wearing a police tactile vest, a gun holster on his right hip, and a Washingtonville Police badge on his left hip.

Boardman Police were able to confirm Malik was at the time employed as an officer at the Washingtonville Police Department. Police also say they located a Leetonia Police badge, where Malik was previously employed.

Malik told police that he was at the Holiday Inn asking about people that the U.S. Marshals are looking for because his dream is to become a U.S. Marshal. Malik also told officers that he never identified himself as a federal law enforcement officer but "jokingly told someone at Sheetz that he had a warrant for them, but quickly told him he was joking around."

Washingtonville Police Chief Ken Faust said Malik was hired in January 2022, and the department has confirmed that Malik is no longer employed by the department, less than four months after his hiring because of this incident.

Back in April, 21 News also spoke with Leetonia Police Chief Allen Haueter, who said Malik previously worked for the village and was "encouraged to resign" due to "performance" issues. The chief did not elaborate on details.