Petoskey resident Mark Wayne Williams--these stories involving eccentrics with three names always end well--dresses up as Batman and interferes with police investigations says he only has the best on intentions.
He explains to the Petoskey News-Review that he's just trying to show "it’s not up to the government to save us."
Petoskey News-Review: Williams told the News-Review that dressing up in costume is something he’s done for awhile, and he believes he’s doing the public a service by keeping an eye on things going on in the community.
"I don’t want to be a police officer. I think what police officers do is great, but it’s up to each person to take a stand and do something to make things better," Williams said. "A lot of times, what I’ve seen from situations I’ve been in, people see something going on and think the police will handle it, but if nobody calls the police or takes a stand, it’s not going to help."
The problem is, police say, Williams' attempt to "take a stand" and "make things better" while dressed in his homemade Batman costume is a huge nuisance to their efforts to solve crime.
Ironically enough, the caped-crusading Williams actually required the government to save him from one of his capers last May.
Huffington Post: 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.
Next time Williams wants to play dress-up, he should lose the chemical irritant spray and get some Right Guard. Based on those pit stains, his sweat glands are his only superpower. -- JTW
