Police Arrest Frustrated 'Batman' Trying to Help Solve Crime: 'Getting in the Way

(TheBlaze/AP) -- The search for a driver who fled an accident scene in northern Michigan over the weekend was apparently the job for a dog, not a bat.

State troopers arrested 33-year-old Mark Wayne Williams because they say he refused to leave them alone after he showed up Saturday night wearing a skin-tight Batman outfit.

Not only that, but apparently the police dogs kept getting excited by the man, and began chasing him instead of the criminals-- maybe it was the cape?

"He wouldn't clear the scene, and we had a canine out there and he kept screwing up the scent," State Police Sgt. Jeff Gorno told the Petoskey News-Review. "He said he wanted to help us look for the driver."

"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," the sergeant added.

Williams wasn't carrying any dangerous weapons, but his costume and gear were confiscated, Gorno said.  He was charged with resisting and obstructing police in an investigation, and he posted bond and was released from the county jail.  He is due back in court Oct. 18.

A call to a number listed as Williams' Petoskey home rang unanswered Wednesday.

But this was not Williams' first brush with the law dressed as the caped crusader.

He was arrested last year after police received a report of a man dressed as Batman prancing around the roof of a Petoskey business.  By the time officers arrived, according to the Huffington Post, Williams was hanging on for dear life to the ledge of that rooftop, 30 feet off the ground.

When police searched him, they found a baton-type striking weapon, a can of chemical irritant spray and a pair of sand-filled gloves.  He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted resisting and obstructing a police officer, and was sentenced to six months of probation during which he was forbidden to wear costumes, including his Batman get-up.

Williams said at the time that he never intended to harm anyone.

"I realize this is a serious offense. I honestly had no idea the items I was holding are illegal," Williams claimed in during his arraignment. "I did not intend to harm anyone with these items.  I swear that."

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