The Batman Of Petoskey, Michigan Arrested For Obstruction Of Justice, Arch-Criminals Rejoice Yet Again

Last year, we had a little fun with the story of Mark Williams, who was arrested for illegal grappling hook swinging while wearing a full-on Batman costume. Aside from the arrest -- which came with a sentence prohibiting Williams from operating in costume for a full year -- I have no doubt that Petoskey, Michigan's citizens slept a little better knowing that they were being watched over by a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of Williams's legal troubles. This week, he was arrested yet again, this time for refusing to leave a crime scene, presumably because he was conducting his own investigation.At this point, I think it's pretty clear that the Petoskey Police Department is probably run by supervillains, which would explain why parking tickets up there are often issued with "Why is the driver of this vehicle like a tennis player's serve?" on the bottom in lieu of an actual court date. How else do you explain why they're always at odds with Williams, who has spent the last year upgrading his costume from Year One to Batman Incorporated style, and found himself a crime-fighting partner in the form of Petoskey Batgirl (pictured above on patrol with Williams), who bailed him out after he was hauled in?

Okay, so technically "obstruction of justice" is, in fact, a crime. Seriously though, don't we want ~~The World's~~ Coastal Michigan's Greatest Detective on the case?

As pointed out by RJ White, the best quote on the entire case comes from Sgt. Jeff Gorno, who spoke to the Petoskey News-Review about the arrest:

"When we arrived, [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. 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."

"We didn't want the dog to track Batman." Not "Williams." "Batman." If nothing else, Williams has now been officially recognized by the Police Department as the hero Petoskey needs, if not the one they deserve. Surely, a signal on the roof of headquarters will be forthcoming as soon as he gets past his court date.