PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Panama City Beach police chief is defending laws aimed at curtailing spring break rowdiness.
Chief Drew Whitman told the city council Thursday that overall crime was down compared with the last two spring break seasons.
The 2015 spring break was marked by shootings and a video of three men appearing to rape an incapacitated woman on a crowded beach. Whitman said there were 22 sexual batteries in 2015, compared to nine this year.
Whitman also said officers confiscated 26 guns this year, compared to 35 in 2015.
The new ordinances included a ban on drinking on the beach and limits on club hours.
The News Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2ohPFj1 ) Whitman and council members also discussed phasing out scooter rental businesses because of safety concerns about scooters on the city’s roads at night.
Police impersonator pulls over officer, needs real lawyer
MIAMI (AP) — Authorities say a man packing a blue light and a BB gun pulled over a non-descript car on Interstate 95, ready to play “traffic cop” again. Bad move: the driver he pulled over is a real police detective.
The police report shows 46-year-old Pacheco Bustamante was arrested Friday morning on a felony charge of impersonating a Florida police officer.
It says Bustamante was driving a Ford Crown Victoria similar to many police vehicles when he approached the detective’s unmarked car and activated a siren. The detective pulled onto the highway shoulder, then arrested Bustamante when it became clear he’s no officer.
The report says Bustamante told police he had done this before.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Bustamante has found a real lawyer to represent him.
