BAY COUNTY, Fla. — A woman was arrested earlier in April after authorities in the Florida Panhandle said she kidnapped someone by pretending to be an ICE agent, stealing the victim’s phone and forcing her into a car and driving to an apartment complex, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) posted on social media Monday.

On April 10, 2025, BCSO deputies responded to the Bridge Plaza Apartments in Panama City Beach to a call for a “suspicious incident.” 

Deputies said they found a woman who told them she was kidnapped. Investigators identified a suspect, Latrance Battle, saying she came to the woman’s place of work and identified herself as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

Investigators said Battle was wearing a black shirt with “ICE” printed on the front, showed the woman a law enforcement business card, and had a hand-held radio. 

Battle told the woman she had to go with her, deputies said. The woman told investigators she’s in the process of becoming a legal U.S. resident and got in the car with Battle out of fear, thinking she was a genuine ICE agent at the time. 

As they were in the car, traveling to their destination, deputies said Battle forcefully snatched the woman’s phone from her as she was trying to contact her lawyer and husband. 

After they arrived at the Bridge Plaza apartment complex, the woman told investigators she suspected something was wrong because Battle told her they were going to the Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said as Battle went inside the apartment, the woman ran away and called law enforcement.

Latrance Battle was found in Fountain, Florida, while on her way to Alabama, deputies said. According to her charges, she was on probation at the time. BCSO posted video of the arrest:

She was arrested and charged with kidnapping in commission of a felony, robbery by sudden snatching, impersonating a law enforcement officer in commission of a felony, and felony violation of probation.