Florida Teen Who Allegedly Posed as Doctor Busted Again

Jan. 19, 2012 — -- A teen who was arrested last year after allegedly posing as a physician's assistant for nearly a week is in hot water again, this time allegedly posing as a Florida police officer.

Matthew Scheidt, 18, was taken into custody today by Miami Beach police after he pulled up next to a man and allegedly told him to buckle his seat belt. That man was an undercover cop.

The officer observed Scheidt conducting himself like a member of the police force complete with police jargon and a laptop, authorities said. The officer engaged the teen in conversation while he called for back-up and initiated a traffic stop.

During a search of the teen's white Crown Victoria, officers allegedly found an Osceola County Sheriff's badge, a .380-caliber Ruger handgun stashed under his seat, a Taser X-26, handcuffs, a police radio and an ankle holster in Scheidt's car, according to ABC's Miami affiliate WPLG.

The teen, who is awaiting trial on two felony charges for impersonating a medical professional and practicing medicine without a license, was booked into jail and held on an $11,000 bond.

At 17, Scheidt stunned hospital officials and caused a statewide review after he allegedly breached security for six days at Osceola Regional Medical Center, where he allegedly posed as a physician's assistant and often provided patients with on-on-one care.

Clad in scrubs and a lab coat and with his badge on full display, Scheidt repeatedly presented himself as a P.A. in the emergency room, and bragged that his mother worked for the corporation that owned the hospital, according to a police report.

Scheidt's father, Matthew Scheidt Sr., said last year he was baffled by his son's behavior. "If you can come up with a reason, I'm all ears. I'm completely and totally all ears," he told Fox affiliate WSVN. "I don't know if I should get him psychological help. I just don't know."

The teen, who has no medical training, pulled off the alleged ruse by telling human resources he was in a program at Nova Southeastern University and he needed to replace his old badge, which had out-of-date information. He was then given a badge with his name and picture, allegedly stating that he was a physician's assistant.

During the time he went undetected, Scheidt had access to sensitive information and was relied on to perform procedures that could have been life-threatening to patients.

The teen correctly performed chest compressions on a patient who was in cardiac arrest for five minutes, according to the police report. He also allegedly helped restrain a combative patient, cleaned and dressed wounds, and removed an IV for a patient who was being discharged.

Scheidt has a long history of bending his identity, dating back to his early teenage years, when he posed as a police officer and a nurse, officials said.

The teen had been in the Sheriff's Explorer Program, but was removed for "over-stepping his explorer duties" by attempting to mislead people into the belief that he was a deputy, according to the police report.

As a 13-year-old volunteer at St. Cloud Medical Center, he was allegedly caught pretending to be a nurse, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

ABC News' Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report.