Terrell resident Darrien Hathcock is a familiar face to law enforcement officers in North Texas, so when he tried to impersonate one of them, it didn't turn out well.

Hathcock, 46, was sentenced last week to 24 months in federal prison for impersonating a U.S. marshal.

He accepted a plea deal in the case last year in which he admitted renting two hotel rooms under false pretenses at a Courtyard at Marriott in Dallas. He told the manager there that he worked for the U.S. Marshals Service, and he used the rooms without paying in advance.

This isn't the first time Hathcock has been in trouble in Dallas County. He served 400 days in jail after pleading guilty in 2005 to theft of service. And a 2008 theft charge connected to a $20,000 check is pending.

In Tarrant County, he spent two years in jail after a 2006 conviction on a third-degree felony charge for theft.

Officers in other counties are also acquainted with Hathcock. Criminal records show he has been in and out of trouble for years.

"He's always right there on the edge," said Detective Walt Newell, a 24-year Terrell police veteran who said he's known Hathcock for 20 years.

Newell said Hathcock carries a badge and persuades people to give him goods or services by claiming to be a member of law enforcement.

In the last five years, he has faced theft, fraud and drugs charges. Public records show he's also been arrested in Denton, Kaufman and Grayson counties. He's served time in jail and has been transferred to different states and counties on fugitive warrants.

But many times, Newell said, the criminal cases against Hathcock go nowhere because property is returned or companies are reimbursed. In the Dallas case, Hathcock's mother, Angalee Hathcock, said the family reimbursed the hotel for the rooms.

"People get their merchandise back," Newell said. "As long as it's in good shape, it doesn't go anywhere."