Michigan "Batman," Mark Williams, due in court for resisting arrest, says he didn't mean to bother cops

(CBS/AP) PETOSKEY, Mich. - A Michigan man due in court Thursday says he had good intentions when he recently tried to keep an eye on his community while wearing a Batman outfit.

Police have heard it before, and they consider Mark Williams a caped pest.

State troopers said they arrested the 33-year-old Williams on Sept. 29 when he refused to leave them alone while they searched for a driver who fled an accident. Williams was charged with resisting and obstructing police in an investigation.

"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 told the Petoskey News-Review. "Dressing up in my costume, as Batman, is my way of saying that it's not up to the government to save us."

Police said they arrested Williams partly because they didn't want a tracking dog to follow him. They said that although he wasn't carrying any dangerous weapons, his costume and gear were confiscated.

Williams said he dresses up as Batman and tries to go out every Friday and Saturday, and some Thursdays, with a partner who dresses up as Batgirl. They "patrol" from about 10 p.m. to 3:30 a.m., both on foot and in a vehicle.

Williams was arrested last year after police received a report of a man dressed as Batman on the roof of a Petoskey business. When officers arrived, they found Williams, dressed as Batman and carrying a baton-type striking weapon, a can of chemical irritant spray and a pair of sand-filled gloves.

He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted resisting and obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to six months of probation during which he was forbidden to wear costumes, including his Batman get-up.

Williams said at the time that he never intended to harm anyone.

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