The Daily Populous Saturday October 19th, 2024 evening edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by Phoenix-Angel

Joseph Malinowski, who gained internet fame because of his risky decisions to ride out Hurricane Helene and Milton on his 20-foot sailboat, was arrested Friday on multiple charges including failing to appear in court, Tampa police said.

Malinowski, 54, known as "Lieutenant Dan," was arrested on two outstanding warrants for failure to appear in court and a misdemeanor charge of trespassing in a city park after warning, police said in a statement.

Officers warned Malinowski on Thursday that he was creating a health hazard because he did not have an “accessible marine sanitation device aboard his unregistered vessel and did not have record of proper disposal of waste,” police said.

Police try to persuade "Lieutenant Dan" to leave his boat ahead of Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, 2024 in Tampa, Fla. Spencer Platt / Getty Images file

He was told to leave the Bayshore Linear Park and Dock but was still there Friday morning, police said.

Malinowski was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, and his vessel was impounded, police said.

He remained jailed as of Friday afternoon, according to facility records. It was not clear if he had an attorney.

Malinowski survived Hurricane Milton aboard his sailboat after capturing national attention when TikTok creator Terrence Concannon posted a series of videos about his experience riding out Hurricane Helene.

He drew concern and scrutiny over his decision to remain at sea during the deadly storms.

bw1985 on October 19th, 2024 at 02:15 UTC »

‘No sanitation device onboard’. So apparently he’s just shitting in the harbor?

Gumbercules81 on October 19th, 2024 at 02:11 UTC »

He only got famous for existing and being stubborn, this shit ain't news worthy. Talk about the people actually helping to clean up their cities

Drunk_English_Major on October 19th, 2024 at 02:05 UTC »

For a split second I thought this was about Gary Sinise and was super concerned.