On September 13, 2021, Galveston police were called to respond to an unusual sight: a man was walking the beach in a horror movie costume with what appeared to be a bloody knife – the iconic character Michael Myers.
Though some beachgoers thought of the act as amusing, police received a call from an individual who found it to be a disturbance of the peace. Upon arrival on the scene, law enforcement discovered that the weapon was fake, and there was no threat of violence. Nonetheless, island attorney Mark Metzger received a Disorderly Conduct charge for his stunt.
In the State of Texas, a Class C misdemeanor for Disorderly Conduct refers to behavior such as the following:
- Abusive or profane language
- Offensive gestures in public (such as the middle finger)
- Foul odors in a public place
- Threatening another person in a public place
- Loud noises in public (other than at a sport shooting range)
- Mutual fighting with another person in a public place
In the case of Galveston attorney Mark Metzger, it is not clear what offense attorney Metzger committed to receive this charge. According to Metzger, some people stopped to take photographs, and the island beach patrol even played the “Halloween” movie theme song. It seems, then, with this context, that Metzger was not disturbing anyone’s peace, but rather just bringing a little humor to the otherwise gloomy circumstances of the weekend.
“It felt like a scene out of Scooby-Doo after they handcuffed me and pulled the mask off, like, ‘I would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for those meddling Karens, you know?’1” Metzger said.
See Metzger’s Facebook posts here:
The Michael Myers incident, however, is not Metzger’s first time in the news… Metzger also made headlines when he went surfing in a business suit during Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
If individuals are allowed to be in public in wild, frightening, and in some cases, even offensive getup for Halloween, what’s the issue with celebrating a bit ahead of schedule? With no other major holidays in between Labor Day and Halloween, it’s only natural for people to start getting excited about Halloween early. There are no laws stating that Halloween must only be celebrated on October 31st.
It’s actually common opinion that it’s never too early to start celebrating!
In fact, this isn’t even the first time for Michael Myers to make a beach appearance:
News Sources:
- Galveston lawyer stopped, cited after scary stroll on seawall beach
- Man Thinks Surfing Hurricane Harvey Is Smart
 |
 |