Teen YouTube Prankster Busted for Wedgies
A Florida prankster faces a battery charge after he administered wedgies to unsuspecting patrons at a movie theater.
Charles Ross, 18, of Bradenton, Fla., was arrested on the misdemeanor charge by Manatee County police on Monday at the Royal Palm theater. According to a police report, he was harassing customers by grabbing them "by the back of [their] pants and pulled them up hard."
After administering the wedgie, Ross would then confront victims, asking if they want to hit him, police said. One of his victims stated that the battery was unwanted and filled out an affidavit.
"It is a battery," Dave Bristow with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office told ABCNews.com. "He did unlawfully touch someone, so technically it's a battery."
Ross' had a number of victims who came forward to police, but they were too embarrassed to pursue charges, police said.
Ross' friend, who police identified as Jordan Owens, was filming him at the time. On the YouTube channel RossCreations, the teen has uploaded dozens of videos of himself performing pranks, including unplanned "trust falls" with unsuspecting strangers, kissing strangers, and performing handstands over beach-goers. One clip has 670,000 views.
Both Ross and Owens said that they understood that they will be arrested if they ever return to the theater. Bristow said that Ross has posted $750 bond today, and will appear before a judge within a month.
Police seized Ross's camera as evidence. "We have video of this, so it's just whether or not the state wants to pursue it," Bristow said.