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Naked Tourist Flees Into Gulf
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Published: October 26, 2007
An Iowa man in town for a wedding ended up in jail after he tried to elude authorities by swimming naked in the Gulf, Clearwater police said.
Matt Berns
A bartender at Best Western on Gulfview Boulevard called police to report an unclothed man fondling himself on the beach behind the hotel. When officers arrived, 35-year-old Matt Berns ran to the water and began swimming, Clearwater public safety spokeswoman Elizabeth Daly-Watts said.
It took Clearwater Fire & Rescue and the Coast Guard about two hours to persuade Berns to get in a boat. Once ashore, Berns resisted arrest and spit on an officer, Daly-Watts said.
Police said Berns was visiting Clearwater for a wedding he was supposed to attend today.
Alcohol was a factor, Daly-Watts said.
Officers charged Berns with battery of a law enforcement officer and public nudity.
An earlier report of a disorderly conduct charge was incorrect.
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