Police say robber posed as DEA agent

A man impersonating a Drug Enforcement Administration agent robbed two people trying to complete a cell phone sale advertised on Craigslist before being arrested by Spokane police Thursday night. Steven E. Escallier, 40, told police he thought the victims were drug dealers when he ordered one to “hand over his dope” after seeing the two arrive in a parking lot near Crestline and Empire in separate cars. Escallier told one he was under arrest and searched him while talking “as if he was communicating with other officers over a radio,” according to a news release. One victim called police on his cell phone, and Escallier was arrested a few blocks away, police said. He remains in Spokane County Jail on charges of first-degree robbery and impersonating an officer.