'Batman' Returns, But Not for Long: 'Petoskey Batman' Arrested Again
Holy felony, Batman! Michigan's own Caped Crusader, played by a character named Mark Wayne Williams, is at it again -- and once again, his antihero antics have landed him behind bars.
Williams, 33, of Petoskey, Mich., is well known to locals (and local law enforcement) as "the Petoskey Batman." He dresses up in a homemade Batman costume and sets out to fight crime, though he hasn't always been successful.
In May 2011, Williams was caught hanging off the side of a building with a variety of weapons in his utility belt. He pleaded guilty to resisting and obstructing a police investigation last fall, and was ordered to ditch his Batman costume for six months.
Well, those six months are over. And there's still crime to be fought in rural Michigan.
But do police need the help of Mark Wayne Williams' "Petoskey Batman"?
Apparently not. Because at the site of a car crash last weekend, Williams showed up unannounced, The Smoking Gun reports. He'd been monitoring police scanners in his Batmobile -- er, car.
"Troopers were securing a large area" to search for a suspect involved in the crash, Michigan State Police said in a press release, "when Williams took it upon himself to search the area in his Batman persona.
"This action by Williams obstructed the security, search and preparation" for a K-9 officer to arrive, the statement continues. Officers told Williams to leave, but he allegedly refused.
So once again -- POW! -- Williams was busted for resisting and obstructing police in an investigation. That's a felony that could get him up to two years in prison.
Guards may want to step up security, because after Williams' arrest, a woman who calls herself the "Petoskey Batgirl" began calling for the Petoskey Batman's release, The Smoking Gun reports. But a post on the Batgirl's Facebook page suggests she's not going to try to be a superhero: She's just going to pay his bail.
Related Resources:
- 'Petoskey Batman' facing felony charges (Petoskey News)
- Mich. Man in Batman Costume Caught While Hanging Off of Roof (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
- 'Batman' Pulled Over by Cops in Black Lamborghini (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- 'Cat Woman' Robber Convicted for Less-Than-Purrfect Crime Spree (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)