PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL - A Florida woman was arrested and accused of impersonating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer to kidnap her ex-boyfriend's wife.
Authorities arrested Latrance Battle and charged her with kidnapping, falsely impersonating an officer while committing a felony and robbery, the Bay County Sheriff's Office said in an April 21 news release.
The victim, who is in the process of obtaining legal residence in the United States, told investigators she went with Battle because she believed Battle was a real immigration agent, but grew suspicious and frightened.
On April 10, Battle approached the victim, who was working the desk at a Days Inn hotel in Panama City at the time, according to a criminal complaint. Battle was dressed in all black with a white face mask, the complaint said. When the victim asked if Battle would like a room, Battle unzipped her jacket to reveal the word "ICE" printed on a black shirt.
Battle also showed the victim a "Sheriff's Office" card that identified her as an ICE agent and told the victim she had to go with her, the sheriff's office said.
The victim did not want to get in trouble or cause more "ICE agents" to show up, so she let her boss know what was happening and then willingly left with Battle in the back seat of Battle's car, according to the court document. While in the car, the victim tried to call her husband and her lawyer using her cell phone, but Battle "forcibly snatched" the phone away and would not give it back, the complaint said.
Battle reportedly had a handheld radio that she was talking on, making the victim believe she was coordinating with other "ICE agents."
The victim became suspicious when Battle kept driving past where she knew the sheriff's office was. Battle kept "talking bad" about the victim's husband and talked to the victim about how she would have to "suffer the consequences" of her husband's actions, according to the complaint. The victim became fearful when Battle drove up to an apartment building and said ICE would be waiting for them there, the complaint said.
After they arrived, Battle told the victim to get out of the car and go into one of the apartment units. Battle ran into the apartment, and the victim used the opportunity to walk quickly away. She asked a bystander if she could use his phone and called law enforcement, according to the complaint.
While waiting, the victim called her husband, who told her the description of the "ICE agent" sounded like his ex-girlfriend, Tracy. When a deputy arrived, the victim was shaking and frightened, the complaint said. Deputies later confirmed the ex-girlfriend was Battle, who lived in the apartment building.
When the victim's husband arrived on the scene, he explained that he had an injunction against Battle, his ex-girlfriend, for issues in the past, the complaint said. He told the deputy that the most recent issue was about two years ago.
Battle had an initial appearance in court on April 12 and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 29, according to court records. The public defender's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on April 25.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY