NOVEMBER 8--A Florida Man who identified himself to police as “Ben Dover” was arrested on an obstruction charge for providing cops with a phony name, according to a court filing.

On Tuesday, a sheriff’s deputy asked a man to leave a park in Palm Harbor, a St. Petersburg suburb. In an arrest affidavit, the cop noted that John Chestnut Park closed at 6 PM and, as such, he was preparing to issue a trespass warning to the parkgoer.

Asked to identify himself, “the defendant responded by stating his name was ‘Ben Dover,’” Deputy K. Baldwin noted.

The man then gave the cop the middle finger and got in the deputy’s face “as if he was going to hit him.” The man then fled on foot, but was apprehended after a short chase.

“Dover,” as it turned out, was actually Andrew Leighton, a 22-year-old Palm Harbor resident. Seen above, Leighton was charged with two misdemeanors: obstruction by a disguised person and resisting an officer. He was released from the county jail early yesterday morning upon posting $300 bond.

Phil McCracken, Heywood Jablome, and Dick Gozinya could not be reached for comment on Leighton’s arrest. (1 page)