Lieutenant Dan’s Criminal History: Joseph Malinowski’s ’14 Mugshots’ Go Viral

Joseph Malinowski, a.k.a. Lieutenant Dan, the TikTok sensation who refused to evacuate from his sailboat amid the Hurricane Milton warning before being evacuated, has a sordid past which involves criminal charges of boat tags, docking, and traffic violations.

He was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia in Broward County in 2019 but did not contest the charges. It did not amount to a felony and it happened before marijuana was legal in Florida. Internet sleuths have been digging up the man’s past, and a collage of Lieutenant Dan’s ’14 mugshots’ went viral.

Just a day after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, Lieutenant Dan was in his boat, even as a storm surge filled the Tampa Bay area with water. There were widespread concerns about his well-being, but it was confirmed later that Malinowski is alive. He was temporarily rescued by Florida officials but later returned to his boat, which deeply endeared him to his fans. There was also a GoFundMe campaign which collected money for Lieutenant Dan for his lost boat.

She remarked, “He has been rescued, and he is now in a shelter as well. If we can get Lieutenant Dan to go to a shelter, we can get anybody to do that.”

However, Lieutenant Dan’s mugshots on 14 different charges became viral on social media. There are even allegations that Lieutenant Dan is a pedophile and allegedly tried to set a woman on fire.

Lieutenant Dan was never charged with paedophilia

However, it was revealed later that the mugshots were indeed of Lieutenant Dan; he was never charged with pedophilia or with trying to set someone on fire. Lieutenant Dan, or Joseph Malinowski, has categorically denied these allegations and has clarified that his record is free of these accusations.

The misunderstanding was caused due to a person with a similar name who was found guilty in Illinois in 2006 of unrelated crimes.

Malinowski’s moniker was inspired by a character in the movie ‘Forrest Gump,’ and it fitted him because he had also displayed comparable levels of tenacity by refusing to abandon his boat despite an evacuation order issued by the authorities in view of Hurricane Milton.

Malinowski had also posted clips on TikTok explaining why he would not leave his boat, and the videos soon became viral.

In one video, he stated,

“God told me to come out here and get a boat. I came out here and got a boat. He’s got my back. I’m in good shape.”

Netizens were divided in their opinions about his act, with some applauding his act while others termed it as extremely foolish and reckless.

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