CARRINGTON – A Carrington woman has been charged with impersonating an officer. According to the complaint filed in Southeast Judicial District, Carrie Beth Cotton, 45, is charged with setting up a fake social media account in February 2023, claiming to be Carrington Police Chief Chris Bittmann.

Bittmann alerted the Bureau of Criminal Investigations to the account, which made posts on marketplace pages to apologize for allowing drug dealers to operate, allowing a relative to engage in drinking and driving and having marital affairs.

A subpoena of the internet provider led the BCI to Cotton.

A second social media account later also appeared to impersonate Bittmann, providing the same statements. A subpoena on the internet provider traced the account to an address that can have many users at the same time.

The complaint filed Nov. 8 against Cotton included eight counts of impersonating an officer, a Class A misdemeanor, related to specific social media posts. All but two of the counts were dismissed for lack of probable cause. A misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a year’s confinement, a fine of $3,000 or both.

Cotton’s initial appearance is scheduled for Dec. 10, according to court records.

Cotton faces 18 counts across five separate misdemeanor cases in which she is charged with stalking, violation of a disorderly conduct restraining order or harassment for multiple alleged incidents occurring since Aug. 27. She has pleaded not guilty. She also faces a Class A misdemeanor charge of animal abandonment and is scheduled for an initial appearance Dec. 10.