A Florida woman posed as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent and briefly kidnapped her ex-boyfriend’s wife from her job, authorities said.
Wearing a black shirt with ICE printed on the front, Latrance Battle, 52, went to the woman’s workplace at a hotel chain on April 10 wearing a black shirt with ICE printed on the front, according to the Bay County Sheriff’s Office.
Battle, who had a hand-held radio with her, flashed a sheriff’s office business card and told the woman she had to leave with her, the BCSO said.
“Due to being in fear, the victim got in the vehicle and went willingly with Latrance,” a sheriff’s office statement said. “The victim confirmed that she genuinely felt as if Latrance was an ICE agent at the time and she is in the process of becoming a legal United States resident.”
As Battle drove, she spoke into her hand-held radio, which furthered the victim’s belief that she was being taken by an ICE agent, the kidnapped woman told authorities, according to the Miami Herald.
During the ride, the woman tried calling her husband and her lawyer before Battle “forcefully snatched” the phone from her hand, deputies wrote.