Walking Outside With a Tattoo Like His Might Actually Result in Armed Officers Showing Up At Your Door

A shirtless man and an ill-placed tattoo resulted in armed officers responding to a home in a small Maine town Tuesday morning.

According to the Kennebec Journal, Michael Smith of Norridgewock was awakened by a tree removal company on his property and walked out shirtless to request they leave.

That's when the workers thought they spotted a gun.

Technically, their eyes did not fool them. There was a gun — it just happened to be tattooed on Smith's belly.

Norridgewock resident Michael Smith stands beside a Somerset County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday morning. (Dave Leaming/ Morning Sentinel)

No charges will ultimately be filed against Smith, who also appeared to have Nazi-like symbols tattooed on his left arm.

But, officers with the Maine State Police did immediately respond to the scene, where they ordered Smith with a megaphone to come out of his house. Multiple officers lined his driveway with their weapons drawn, the newspaper reported.

“Obviously it was a misunderstanding and he didn’t have a weapon, but we had to respond to the initial report as if he did,” Maine State Police Trooper Scott Duff said. “We take all precautions when we don’t have the details.”

[sharequote align="center"]“Obviously it was a misunderstanding and he didn’t have a weapon..."[/sharequote]

“I got plans today. I didn’t want to get shot,” Smith later added to the newspaper.

This story had been updated. 

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