One-legged man who went viral for facing hurricane in his sailboat has lengthy criminal history

A one-legged man who went viral on social media for saying he was going to face Hurricane Milton in his sailboat turns out to have a long criminal past, including an allegation that he tried to set a woman on fire.

54-year-old Joseph Malinowski was nicknamed "Lieutenant Dan" by his fans online after the character in the "Forrest Gump" movie and went viral after being interviewed by “Tampa” Terrence Concannon, who has half a million followers on TikTok.

'God told me to come out here and get a boat ... I’m in good shape. We’re gonna ride this one out.'

The man credited his faith in God when asked why he was refusing to evacuate.

“God told me to come out here and get a boat," Malinowski said. "I came out here and got a boat. He’s been telling me in the last two days I’m doing the right thing. He’s got my back. I’m in good shape. We’re gonna ride this one out.”

Concannon set up a GoFundMe account to raise money for Malinowski, who he described as "the kindest soul" with the "true spirit of a pirate."

Online sleuths then discovered that the man had a lengthy rap sheet with charges beginning from simple traffic infractions all the way to assault on a police officer. There's even a criminal case related to whether he actually owns the sailboat he is celebrated for.

Malinowski was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, drug possession, and attempted breaking and entering. In one case, he was accused of trying to light a woman on fire after getting into an argument, but the charges were dropped without explanation in that case.

The GoFundMe account has raised more than $43k for Malinowski.

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