Maine man"s "gun" turns out to be a tattoo

By

Associated Press

|

One resident got a rude awakening when police with assault rifles surrounded his home after a tree removal crew mistakenly reported he had a gun.

Michael Smith, of Norridgewock, Maine, was woken up by the authorities when a crew contacted by a utility company to trim branches near some power lines notified the police at 10am on Tuesday.

Smith went outside shirtless to yell at the crew to leave, exposing a life-sized tattoo of a gun he had on his stomach.

Armed police surrounded Maine resident Michael Smith’s house Tuesday morning after a life-size gun tattoo on his waistband was mistaken for an actual weapon. Smith was not charged in the misunderstanding

The workers mistook it for a an actual weapon, and notified authorities to the home located off Ward Hill Road.

Smith was not charged and said the tattoo has never been a problem before. Smith has multiple tattoos, including several covering his left arm.

‘Obviously it was a misunderstanding and he didn’t have a weapon, but we had to respond to the initial report as if he did,’ Maine State police trooper Scott Duff told the Morning Sentinel.

Smith, who works nights, said it sounded like someone was driving up his driveway and crushing a thick layer of ice on it.

He went outside to tell the crew to leave his property, and they told him no problem. But one worker said he thought he noticed a pistol in Smith’s waistband.  

Duff said he didn’t think Smith went outside with his shirt off deliberately to make it appear he was carrying a gun.

‘I got plans today. I didn’t want to get shot,’ Smith told the Morning Sentinel.

Police surround Michael Smith’s home in rural Maine Tuesday morning after a utility crew member working outside the home mistook Smith’s gun tattoo on his stomach for a real weapon

Michael Smith with his girlfriend Mindy. Smith was not charged by police after his gun tattoo was mistaken for a real weapon.

Comments (46)

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mailfail,

Kansas, United States,

12 minutes ago

This is sad dumb America.. They need to send the fat ass cop to a gym and keep him out of the donut shop..

jon1burd,

Cardiff, United Kingdom,

6 minutes ago

Lol, we have them that size here as well, you’d think a career that can involve chasing suspects would require a fitness test.

Robert,

Atlanta,

13 minutes ago

Even if it was a gun there is nothing illegal about having a gun, especially on your own property. Everyone involved should be sued.

aandm12,

Laguna Hills,

18 minutes ago

Gun rights aside….This guy looks like he was busy solving the riddles of quantum physics…or maybe he was checkin tour dates for the Insane Clown Posse…hard to say…

heartless harry,

nottingham, United Kingdom,

28 minutes ago

Police surrounded the home…that copper could have done that himself….tell you what!..thems industrial strenth buttons on that coppers shirt!

Sfc Ly,

mainville, United States,

33 minutes ago

I guess workers in Maine are easily frightened. Police don’t use “assault rifles”.

Lisa,

Texas,

29 minutes ago

Oh but to those who are fear mongers, ALL guns are assault weapons! These people are just idiots, they couldn’t tell the difference between a REAL gun and a tat?!?

liz2,

winnipeg,

34 minutes ago

Now he’ll have quite the story to tell his friends!

alias1776,

Johnstown, United States,

43 minutes ago

Even if he had a real gun, what’s the problem?

BK,

Scotland, United Kingdom,

18 minutes ago

Ask anyone from a civilised country. That does not include yours.

alias1776,

Johnstown, United States,

8 minutes ago

Yeah ok BK, you guys are scared of your own shadows aren’t ya?

Bobby Fabian,

Amarillo, United States,

46 minutes ago

Nothing wrong with a silly gun tattoo; I’d be more concerned about the Roman Eagle and Iron Cross on his arm…

2 of 3 repliesSee all replies

Nayla,

VA,

26 minutes ago

Yeah, and I think that’s a Hammerskins tat on his inner arm, above the roman eagle

Robert,

Atlanta,

11 minutes ago

And we want that outlawed?

Surfing Cat,

Somewhere in America, United States,

54 minutes ago

intelligent lad.

SoCalApril,

los angeles, United States,

1 hour ago

Seriously, the focus should be on the guy that called the police over this, that is the real strange thing. It isn’t a crime to have a gun on your property in Maine, even in your hand if you are on your property (can’t point it at a human) and this guy had not just a tattoo, but it was on his belly, he wasn’t waving it around. So you have to wonder who this joker is that thought he needed to call the cops – maybe angry that he was told to get off the property when cutting trees….

2 of 4 repliesSee all replies

BeamMeUp,

Houston, United States,

22 minutes ago

That’s what I thought. Even if it was a gun, he had it on his own property, and never threatened to shoot anybody. Sounds more like one of the workers got angry he was told to leave and decided to call the cops.

ladyjbritish,

NC,

19 minutes ago

I’m NOT concerned with the SWAT response. I have no doubt the phone call contained the words ‘I feel threatened’ or ‘he’s threatening us and he has a gun’ or somesuch emotional trigger phrase (and didn’t mention the trespass onto this guy’s land)- the cops had to investigate. They did, no harm was done to anyone, and everyone walked away.

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Maine man"s "gun" turns out to be a tattoo