Petoskey Batman Charged With Obstruction Again

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, October 04, 2012

The Caped Crusader is supposed to help authorities, not get in their way, but for one local Batman-wannabe, that's not what happened. Mark Wayne Williams has been charged with obstruction of justice and is due in court on Oct. 18.

Police were called to the scene of an accident in which the driver of the vehicle had fled the scene. They brought in a canine unit to help locate the driver, but, according to Sgt. Jeff Gorno, "Williams was at the scene in his Batman outfit. He wouldn't clear the scene and we had a canine out there and he kept screwing up the scent."

"We didn't want the dog to track Batman instead of the accident scene and he was getting in the way of officers who had a job to do," Gorno told the Petoskey News. Police took away Williams' Batman attire and charged him with resisting police and obstruction of an investigation.

He posted bond and was quickly released from jail but ordered to return to court on Oct. 18. This is not the first time that Williams has interfered in police business. In May 2011, he was found on a rooftop, again dressed as Batman, only this time he was armed with a baton and a can of something akin to mace.

Then in Sept. 2011, he was sentenced to six months probation for resisting and obstructing a police officer. Williams was given the order not to wear costumes of any type, including his beloved Batman.

During his 2011 trial, Williams told the court, "I realize that this is a serious offense. I honestly had no idea the items I was holding are illegal. I did not intend to harm anyone with these items. I swear to that," he explained, according to the Petoskey News.

Of course, Williams is not the only Caped Crusader to have fun afoul of the law. Earlier this year a man dressed as Batman was pulled over by police for not having proper license plates; instead of the legal plates, the man only had a Batman emblem. He was on his way to visit sick children, and instead of giving the man a ticket, police gave Batman an escort to the hospital.