This is the WILDEST crime story we’ve heard in a while. A Florida woman has been arrested for… basically doing what our government has been doing! Only at no time was she ever a federal agent!
Police in Panama City arrested a 52-year-old woman earlier this month for allegedly trying to kidnap her ex-boyfriend’s wife. But it’s the audacious way she did it that has everyone talking.
ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arm of Homeland Security, have been a hot topic in the news lately for their increasingly authoritarian practices. They’ve been grabbing people off the streets — sometimes to deport, sometimes just to question, some who turned out to be US citizens! It’s been a terrifying time of chaos for both immigrants and certain minorities generally. And this woman is being accused of using that to her advantage.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and the Panama City Herald, Latrance Battle walked into a Days Inn hotel on April 10 wearing a black zipper jacket, black pants, a black hat, and a white face mask. From there, she walked up to the front desk where her alleged victim was working, and unzipped her jacket to reveal “ICE” printed on a black shirt. She also flashed a fake ID, per reports.
Related: American Pie Actress Talks ‘Inhumane’ Treatment By ICE
The victim told law enforcement later that she was terrified — rightfully so! She didn’t want any more ICE agents to be called and show up to the hotel, so she quietly complied. She said she told her manager about the situation and then got in Battle’s car.
We should note, this is only possible because of the sketchy way ICE has chosen to operate lately. They’ve ditched the uniforms and are instead wearing casual clothes as they grab people and shove them into unmarked vehicles. No warrants, no due process, just disappearing people off the street. It must have been all too easy for someone to emulate. The victim was in the process of becoming a naturalized US citizen, so with all the other stories going around about ICE, there’s no surprise she believed Battle! So sad.
After they got in the car, per the police, Battle told the woman they’d be going to the Sheriff’s Office to go through the next steps of her arrest. She even allegedly pretended to communicate via handheld radio with other ICE agents. When they missed the turn for the Sheriff, though, the victim became even more nervous. That’s when Battle claimed they’d be going to a different Bay County Sheriff’s Office location, near Panama City Beach. Scary stuff.
Battle was apparently too focused on her grudge to protect the charade. She was allegedly “talking bad” about her ex on the drive! She told the woman she would have to “suffer the consequences” of her husband’s actions, per court docs.
Battle then changed their location AGAIN. They finally ended up at an apartment complex where she alleged they’d be meeting up with other ICE agents. The victim was then reportedly instructed to go into a specific apartment.
This is where the victim got suspicious. She noted a “clear tackle box and other stuff” in the trunk of Battle’s car. She also said Battle ran into the apartment before her. From the apartment, she heard “a lot of noise like she was moving stuff around or talking to someone”. Luckily, the victim put together how odd this all was. She flagged down a passerby and asked to call police.
When Battle came back outside, the passerby confronted her and asked why she’d taken the victim’s phone away, to which she allegedly responded:
“She knows what she did.”
We mean… it doesn’t NOT sound like an ICE agent, right? Who would know?
Thankfully the good samaritan let the victim stay in their apartment while waiting for police to arrive. Battle must have known the jig was up because she moved her car to another area. When the passerby also contacted the woman’s husband, he had a horrifying realization — this “ICE agent” sounded a lot like his ex girlfriend…
When the police finally arrived, alongside the victim’s husband, he told officers he had an injunction against his ex for “issues they had in the past”, as reported by WOFL. Not only that, Battle is on felony probation for aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, and she has reports against her for “dating violence” going back to 2022, per the Herald. Yeesh.
The victim is now safe. We’re so glad that passerby was there in that moment, there’s no telling what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been able to contact police.
Luckily, officers were able to quickly locate and detain Battle, as shown in a bodycam video they posted to Facebook. You can watch it (below):
Battle was arrested on charges of kidnapping in commission of a felony, impersonating an official, robbery by sudden snatching without a weapon, and felony violation of probation. She’s been ordered to have no contact with the victim and is due for her first arraignment on May 29. She’s currently being held in Bay County Jail without bond.
SUCH a scary situation! We’re so relieved to hear the victim and her husband are OK. But this raises some serious concerns about how ICE is handling things if someone could mistake this kidnapping for a legit government action… don’t you think? Thoughts, Perezcious readers?
[Image via Bay County Sheriff’s Office]
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