Viral Hurricane Milton Survivor Lieutenant Dan: What's Real And What's Not With Criminal Past Rumors

Lieutenant Dan is the talk of the internet again…

As Perezcious readers most likely know, 54-year-old Joseph Malinowski went viral on social media this week when he refused to evacuate and leave his boat in Tampa ahead of Hurricane Milton. He was featured on several news channels and TikToker Tampa Terrence’s account. The 23-year-old influencer even set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Lieutenant Dan to purchase a new vessel, calling him a “modern-day pirate” and “the kindest soul” who is “never asking for anything but always ready to lend a hand.” So far, he has raised over $46,000 for the viral sensation! That is wild!

Dan thankfully survived the nasty storm. He got SUPER lucky. Things could have taken a deadly turn for him. But now, it looks like his luck is running out. Everyone is talking about him online again but for a not-so-good reason this time. After going viral, people discovered Lieutenant Dan has a criminal past. Whoa. However, some of the details on social media about it are real, and some are not. Here’s the deal…

When a post about his mugshots appeared on X (Twitter), many people started to claim Dan was accused of sexual assault and pedophilia, but they got the wrong man! They mixed him up with John Malinowski, who was found guilty of those crimes in 2006. It is important to stress one more time Lieutenant Dan or Joseph Malinowski was never convicted of pedophilia and sexual assault — John Malinowski was. Dan is not even related to this John guy!

Lieutenant Dan’s 14 mugshots go crazy. Bro is a menace. pic.twitter.com/Fp5H5peTAB

— mikk ???? (@MikMilks_) October 10, 2024

All that said, he reportedly does not have a squeaky-clean record. According to The New York Post, court records show multiple arrests in North Carolina and Florida dating back to 2006, with many charges against him involving traffic offenses or failure to appear in court. But there is more. He was also reportedly busted for drug possession, attempted breaking and entering, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. They say there is even an open criminal case in Tampa over whether his sailboat, the same one featured in all those viral videos, belongs to him!

As for specific incidents? In May 2021, Dan was arrested after a manager asked him to leave the Brogues Down Under bar in Lake Worth, Florida, for screaming and smashing glasses and refusing to do so. An arrest report obtained by the outlet stated that when a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene and tried to handcuff him, Dan punched him in the nose. The officer punched him back to subdue him, resulting in a laceration on his face from the broken glass on the bar floor. Dan was charged with battery against a law enforcement officer. While he pleaded not guilty, a jury convicted him. He served a year in prison.

His run-in with the law did not end there. It’s reported that in February of 2023, a woman claimed she got into an argument with Dan about 20 feet away where he was sitting on a concrete bench at Lake Worth Beach. During the confrontation, he allegedly approached her, poured gasoline on the bench right next to where she was sitting, and set it on fire! OMG!

As this situation became more heated, the woman, who was smoking a cigarette, claimed Dan splashed her with gas to try and set her ablaze next. So scary! Afraid for her life, records say she called 911 and took his crutches to stop him from using them as weapons or leaving before police arrived. FYI, he has crutches after having his left leg amputated above the knee following a scooter accident almost four decades ago. Dan was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. However, the case was dropped a month later for an unknown reason.

Per court documents, he was charged last March for abandoning a 26-foot sailboat called the Roan Inish “on its side and submerged against a sea wall” in Lantana. Prosecutors choose not to pursue the case in court due to the terms of a plea deal.

Wow…

Reactions to his rap sheet, Perezcious readers? Drop ’em in the comments below.

[Image via Tampa Terrence/TikTok]