A Florida woman is facing serious charges after allegedly pretending to be a federal immigration officer to kidnap her ex-boyfriend’s wife.
Authorities say Latrance Battle, who lives in Panama City Beach, posed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent and convinced the victim to leave with her, thinking she was under investigation.
Battle has been charged with kidnapping, impersonating an officer during a felony, and robbery, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
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The incident happened on April 10 at a Days Inn hotel where the victim was working. Dressed in black and wearing a mask, Battle approached the woman at the front desk and revealed an “ICE” shirt under her jacket.
She also showed a fake law enforcement card and told the woman she had to come with her.
The victim, who is currently trying to get legal U.S. residency, feared being in trouble with immigration and agreed to go. She informed her boss and got into the back seat of Battle’s car. But things quickly turned suspicious.
During the ride, Battle took the woman’s phone, used a fake radio to pretend she was talking to other agents, and criticized the woman’s husband.
When they arrived at an apartment complex, Battle told the woman to go inside where ICE would be waiting. Instead, the woman escaped, borrowed a phone from a bystander, and called for help.
Police later confirmed that Battle was the ex-girlfriend of the victim’s husband and that the husband had a restraining order against her from past incidents.
Battle appeared in court on April 12 and is due for arraignment on May 29.
The public defender’s office has not yet commented on the case.
