BATON ROUGE - Police said they arrested a man after he attempted to fraudulently use a Baton Rouge Police Department badge to gain access to the 19th Judicial Courthouse downtown.

33-year-old Melvin Cosey, of Hammond, was booked by BRPD on a charge of fraudulent portrayal of a police officer after he was taken into custody on Wednesday.

Police said Cosey entered the 19th JDC building and presented a BRPD badge to several East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office deputies that were present. The man was allowed to bypass normal security screening and was allowed to enter the building. Once inside, Cosey proceeded to the fourth floor of the building for a scheduled court appearance. He was then questioned by an EBRSO deputy who asked if he was a police officer. Cosey responded that he was.

Deputies then became aware that Cosey was fired from the Baton Rouge Police Department on Feb. 3. After the discovery, deputies contacted BRPD who responded to the courthouse and took the man into custody.