What started as a straightforward municipal code stop at Santa Monica’s Crescent Bay Park on Tuesday ended with officers arresting a Florida man wanted on a Marion County felony extradition warrant. Police said the man, identified as Michael Lee Pope, was taken into custody without incident after a routine records check turned up an active full‑extradition warrant tied to allegations of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor.
Routine stop turned up an extradition warrant
Officers from the Santa Monica Police Department’s Downtown Services Unit contacted Pope at about 1:49 p.m. Tuesday while patrolling the lower portion of Crescent Bay Park and cited him for a municipal code violation, according to police. A follow-up records check revealed a felony full‑extradition warrant out of Marion County, Florida. Santa Monica police then booked Pope as a fugitive under California Penal Code 1551.1 and later transferred him to the Los Angeles County Inmate Reception Center, as reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Florida arrest and weapons allegations
Before the Santa Monica arrest, Pope had already been taken into custody in Florida in 2025 when Levy County deputies tried to serve the Marion County warrant, local outlets reported. During that attempt, deputies said they discovered a rifle and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition at his home and hit him with weapons charges on top of the outstanding Marion County case. He was held on a $25,000 bond for the firearms counts and on a no‑bond status tied to the Marion County warrant, according to WCJB.
What happens next
Because Pope was booked in California under fugitive statutes, his case now shifts into the interstate extradition process. A court will review paperwork from Florida and confirm both the validity of the warrant and the suspect’s identity before any transfer can happen. California’s extradition rules are laid out in Penal Code sections 1548–1558, which require a certified complaint or indictment along with a statement of probable cause from the requesting state. The Los Angeles County Inmate Reception Center serves as the county’s central intake and processing facility for people in custody; see Justia and Los Angeles County for more on the statutes and the facility.
Police left questions about travel and next steps
Santa Monica police did not say how Pope got from Florida to Southern California or whether he might face any additional charges in California; those points were still unclear at the time of his arrest. The prior Levy County case left him held on firearms allegations and on no‑bond status in connection with the Marion County warrant. As extradition proceedings move forward, it will be up to Marion County prosecutors to decide whether to formally seek his return for prosecution, according to the Santa Monica Daily Press.
Bottom line
A minor code stop in a beachside park quickly escalated into the arrest of a man wanted on serious charges in another state. Authorities say Pope will remain in custody while the extradition paperwork moves through the system, and prosecutors in both California and Florida will determine the next legal steps once the interjurisdictional process plays out.
