Costumed & Handcuffed

Costume parties, particularly those around Halloween, see us dressed in creepy, scary, cute, fun, and downright outrageous outfits complete with face paint and all the accessories. We anticipate dressing up for a fun outing with friends, although sometimes those plans go astray and jail becomes our final destination for the evening. After the jail’s booking department snaps a mugshot, of course. We may not find an arrest while dressed in a costume very amusing, but when the photo hits the ‘net, you can bet your bottom dollar it will amuse the masses. What do you think of the following costume capers?

Dressed for the Occasion

Adam Ballingall dressed for the occasion when he attended a Halloween party dressed as a prisoner, complete with white face paint to match his black and white striped prisoner uniform.

Officers charged the ‘prisoner’ with disorderly conduct and drug possession after spotting him and three friends smoking marijuana inside a car in the parking lot at the Big Heads Bar. Officers also discovered cocaine in his possession.

Moo-ving and Shaking in Middletown

Michelle Allen of Middletown, Ohio, has a lengthy criminal record, 50 to be exact; mostly misdemeanor offenses. One arrest stands out more than the rest, and that’s because Allen’s wardrobe that day caught more than a few eyes when her mugshot was published.

Ms. Allen moo-ved through traffic chasing children in late September 2008 while dressed in a cow costume. She was charged with disorderly conduct.

The allegedly drunken woman threatened officers at the time of her arrest. To worsen the situation, she told court officials to “suck her otters” when she appeared at her bail hearing.

This Bud’s For You

A Kansas man dressed as a Bud Light can was charged with D.U.I. in May 2023 after an officer pulled him over for possible drunk driving on Interstate 35.

The officers stopped the man after other travelers called to report his vehicle swerving on the interstate. He told officers he was on his way home from a Cinco de Mayo party.

Elmo the Creep Arrested

Jeff Jarvis, a 74-year-old convicted sex offender from Lehi, UT, was arrested in April 2023 after attending a children's event dressed as Elmo, a beloved children's character. Jarvis dressed as the character as a way to lure young children. He was charged with violating the sex offender registry (SOR.)

Me Want Moonnneeeyyy

Another member of the Sesame Street clan found himself behind bars after shoving a 2-year-old toddler when his family refused to hand him $2 for a photo they had snapped with their phone.

Osvaldo Quiroz-Lopez from Queens was arrested in New York’s Times Square and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and aggressive begging. The Queens man did not have any prior arrests.

Isaac Geiger: Bad Santa

Isaac Geiger ran a drug operation from a U-Haul truck in Jacksonville, Florida, until police arrested him in December 2016.

Officers became suspicious of the man, who wore a full Santa costume, after they witnessed him grabbing small items out of the UHaul several times.

Geiger ran when he noticed police watching him, although he was nabbed a short time later.

Officers found ecstasy, prescription pills, cash, and Molly hidden inside the truck.

The Sinning Batman

Batman isn't exactly a law-abiding character, although I'm confident in saying robbing churches would not be among the crimes he would commit.

Unless, of course, you aren't THE Batman, but instead someone dressed in a costume.

Surveillance footage captured at Church at The Mill in Moore, S.C. shows a man later identified as 25-year-old Dalton Alexander Lazunick going from room to room stealing computers and different pieces of electronic equipment. He finds a Batman costume in one room and slips into it before moving on to the other rooms to steal more goods. He was charged with second-degree burglary and grand larceny.