Holy handcuffs! Police in a resort community in northwest Michigan are touting the arrest of the legendary caped crusader Batman, who was reportedly nabbed while dangling from a 30-foot-tall building.
But wait, what sorcery is this? Police now say the Dark Knight they have taken into custody is an impostor! The unmasked superhero wannabe is actually a local resident named Mark Wayne Williams.
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Police in Petoskey, a small community about 200 miles northwest of Flint, MIchigan, received a call early Wednesday that Williams, 31, was on the roof of a building in the center of the town. When officers arrived on the scene, they pulled Williams, who was reportedly hanging over the side of the building, back onto the roof.
During a search of Batman, er, Williams, police discovered several "dangerous" weapons tucked away inside his utility belt, including a telescoping steel baton, lead-lined gloves and a can of chemical irritant spray.
Williams was arrested at the scene and later charged with several counts of carrying concealed weapons, one count of carrying a gas-ejecting weapon and another count of creating a disturbance, Reuters News reported.
"I realize this is a serious offense. I honestly had no idea the items I was holding are illegal," Williams said in court during his arraignment on Wednesday. "I did not intend to harm anyone with these items. I swear that."
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According to John Calabrese, public safety chief in Petoskey, authorities have had previous run-ins with the alleged batty bad man.
"We've had contact with him in the past, where he's made himself up to look like that Crow character who is also a comic book character," Calabrese said, according to The Petoskey News-Review.
On his MySpace page, Williams, or "Crowmaster," said he considers "anyone who stands up for what they believe in and for others. No matter the cost" as a hero.
If convicted of the crimes he is accused of committing, Williams faces a combined sentence of up to 30 years in prison -- a lengthy stint that would most definitely deter any costumed crime-fighting super hero.
Williams is due back in court for a pre-trial conference on May 23 ... Same Bat-Time.... same Bat-Channel.
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