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Florida's Lt. Dan,” which went viral during Hurricane Milton, was arrested

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Florida's Lt. Dan,” which went viral during Hurricane Milton, was arrested

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The man whose determination to ride out Hurricane Milton in a sailboat earned him internet fame and the nickname “Lt. Dan” was arrested in Florida, according to police.

Joe Malinowski remained in jail in Hillsborough County on Saturday after being arrested the day before on charges of failing to appear in court on previous cases and trespassing in a city park after a warning to leave, Tampa Police Department Public Information Officer Verliz Williams said in a statement .

The 54-year-old, whose occupation is listed on his arrest record as “Tik Tok star,” was at the Bayshore Linear Park and Dock on Thursday when police spoke with him, Williams said. He told officials that he had “no accessible marine sanitation facility on board his unregistered vessel and no record of proper disposal of waste, posing a public health risk.”

Marine sanitation devices are devices used to collect, retain, treat or discharge wastewater required by the Clean Water Act on boats with toilets installed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Malinowski was asked to leave the park and was arrested the next morning while he was still there, Williams said.

Arrest records show he failed to appear in court on charges of driving an unregistered vehicle and not having a valid driver's license.

Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on Malinowski's behalf.

Malinowski was nicknamed Lt. Dan after the character from the movie “Forrest Gump,” who also survived a hurricane on a boat. Malinowski is also missing his lower left leg, similar to the film character.

Earlier this month, Malinowski defied authorities urging evacuation in Tampa Bay and chose to remain aboard his 22-foot sailboat as devastating Hurricane Milton struck the region, sweeping across the state and killing over two dozen people . Officials at one point said Malinowski was rescued and taken to a shelter, but reporters found him back on his boat hours later.

“It wasn’t that bad,” Malinowski said after the storm passed. Tampa was spared catastrophic storm surge when Milton struck south of Tampa Bay.

Contributors: Trevor Hughes and Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY

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