WEST PLAINS, Mo. -- The Howell County sheriff says he won't let his wife drive alone at night after two women recently made reports of being sexually assaulted or attacked by a man impersonating a police officer.

  One of the victims, in a telephone interview, said the man had a blue dash light.  The only problem is law officers say they don't use anything like that light and they're eager to get the word out about it.

   The two women share similar stories of being pulled out of their cars and forced to the ground by a man posing as a police officer.  That's not all they have in common.  Investigators noticed the two women are also younger, have brown hair and a small body-type and, more notably, they were somewhat vulnerable.

  "They were younger females by themselves,’ said Sheriff Robbie Crites.

  The victim who was raped says the man knew a lot about her, although she knew nothing of him.  Crites says it appears the man is fearless so, for now, they say it's not a bad idea to act a little more fearful.

  “One tip would be to have a buddy run to town or whatever you need to do," said Crites.

  The Sheriff says most sheriff’s department cars are fully marked and have red and blue flashing lights on their tops.  The women reported the man who attacked them only had a dash light.  Crites says that should've been suspicious.

  "The biggest thing we're telling them is, if you're not sure, don't stop,” he said.

  Instead, Crites suggests that motorists who are being followed by a car with a flashing patrol light slow down and put on their hazard lights, then call 911 and ask the dispatcher to verify that an officer is at her location.

  "I think, if I got pulled over in West Plains, I think that's what I'd do,” said Ruth Deatherage, an 18-year-old brunette who works at a gas station near a highway. 

  Deatherage says the advice is worth heeding.

  "I’m really scared because I was just in West Plains.  I hadn't even heard about it until this morning.  It's crazy,” she said.

   It does seem a little crazy when police say “don't stop” but, in this case, they understand.

  "They're spooked and we fully understand that.  We all have wives, mothers and daughters, and we would expect the same out of them,” said Crites.

  It’s easy to install a dash light.  They’re for sale for about $80.  They plug it into the cigarette lighter.  If you saw one during the day, it might look a little suspect but, at night, it would be hard to tell.