Police were forced to get involved when a man dressed as The Joker was spotted walking around a Virginia town

Jeremy Putnam, a 31-year-old man from Winchester, Virginia, was arrested Friday afternoon for dressing up as Batman’s infamous rival, The Joker.

Police received several calls around 2 p.m. reporting a man dressed as Batman’s arch nemesis, specifically Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the villain in “The Dark Knight.” According to the callers, his face was fully painted, he was wearing a cape and he was carrying a sword.

Putnam was immediately arrested and charged with wearing a mask in public, a felony in Virginia. The state maintains that it’s illegal “for any person over 16 years of age, with the intent to conceal his identity, wear any mask, hood, or other device, whereby a substantial portion of the face is hidden or covered, so as to conceal the identity of the wearer, to be or appear in any public place.” The offense is punishable with up to five years in prison.

He is currently being held at Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center with a $2,000 bond.

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