Latrance Battle, a 52-year-old woman residing in Florida, was arrested for impersonating an agent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to kidnap her ex-partner's wife.
According to the authorities, he used a shirt with the letters ICE, a portable radio, and a fake card to deceive the victim, who is in the process of immigration legalization.
The deception disguised as authority
Although the authorities disclosed the incident recently, the kidnapping occurred on April 10 in Panama City, in Bay County, in northwest Florida.
The day in question, Latrance Battle appeared at the hotel chain where the victim worked wearing a black t-shirt with the letters "ICE" printed on it.
According to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO), Battle was also carrying a portable radio and displayed "a business card from the Sheriff’s Office," pretending to be a federal agent.
According to the official report released by BCSO, "the suspect instructed the victim to accompany her," and "due to the fear she felt, the victim got into the vehicle and voluntarily went with Latrance."
The woman stated that at that moment, she "truly felt that Latrance was an ICE agent," partly due to her immigration status still being in process.
From an alleged detention to a kidnapping
While they were heading to their supposed destination, the woman attempted to call her husband and her lawyer.
According to the official report, "Latrance forcefully snatched the phone from his hand while he was trying to communicate."
Shortly after, they arrived at the Bridge Plaza apartment complex, where Battle claimed there would be more ICE agents.
It was then that the victim began to suspect that something was wrong, as they had initially been told they were going to the sheriff's office.
"When Latrance entered the apartment, the victim fled and called law enforcement," stated the BCSO.
The woman knocked on a neighbor's window, hid behind his vehicle, and asked for help. It was the same neighbor who sheltered her in his house until the arrival of law enforcement.
Battle, noticing the escape, asked the neighbor if he had seen a woman running and justified taking the phone by saying that he "knew what he had done," according to the witness's account to the authorities.
The key: A history of prior violence
During the emergency call, the victim physically described the kidnapper. Her husband, upon hearing the details, identified Battle as his ex-partner.
According to the Miami Herald, he had already had a violent incident with her two years earlier, which led him to seek a restraining order. This background allowed the police to quickly identify the suspect.
Latrance Battle was located hours later in Fountain, Florida, while attempting to head to Alabama. She was detained without incident.
Charges and legal process
According to the official statement from the Bay County Sheriff's Office, Battle was formally charged with kidnapping during the commission of a felony, sudden snatching robbery, usurpation of public functions in the commission of a felony, and violation of probation, all classified as felonies.
Authorities emphasized that cases like this pose a serious risk to migrants in vulnerable situations.
The investigation remains open as law enforcement analyzes whether there was prior planning or possible accomplices in this act of impersonation and kidnapping.
Filed under:
