A Florida man who is widely known as The Joker was taken into custody on the suspicion that he violated the conditions of his bail by possessing a weapon.
30-year-old Lawrence Sullivan is a tattoo model and aspiring actor who has several inked images, many of which are upon his face and resemble the DC comic villain The Joker.
Sullivan, who became notorious for a mugshot that circulated the internet last year due to likeness to the character once formerly played by Heath Ledger, was dubbed The Joker by the online community. He reportedly has an Instagram page with over 120,000 followers.
In 2017, someone reported to the police that they saw a man fitting Sullivan’s unique description waving a gun around in public, and the suspect was charged for carrying a concealed weapon.
Sullivan is currently on probation stipulating that he is required to meet with a mental health provider, but he reportedly did not show up for some of his appointments and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
When he met with his probation officer Sullivan did not know about the warrant and he was arrested and booked into the county jail without bail.
Sullivan’s mother stated that her son is handicapped from mental illness, but that he is “a good kid.”
In an interview with a news station that Sullivan agreed to, he denied waving a gun around regarding the initial charges and said that he isn’t employed making him unable to attain the funds he needed in order to get to his appointments which caused him to miss a few of them. He stated that he was not trying to escape from his legal responsibilities.
When the reporter asked Sullivan about his tattoos, he explained while sporting his inked scar of a smile that he felt he needed to adopt a persona which fosters a feeling of personal power to keep him from being taken advantage of the way he said he had been in the past.
If you or someone you love is suspected of weapon possession, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.