Maine man with gun tattoo leads to heavy police response

NORRIDGEWOCK, Maine - Police armed with assault rifles descended on a Maine man's home after members of a tree removal crew he'd told to leave his property reported that he had a gun.

Turns out the "gun" the tree crew had seen on Michael Smith of Norridgewock was just a life-sized tattoo of a handgun on his stomach.

Smith, who works nights, was asleep when the tree crew, contracted by a utility to trim branches near power lines, woke him up at about 10 a.m. Tuesday.

He went outside shirtless and yelled at the workers to leave before going back to bed. As the workers were leaving, one thought he saw a pistol in Smith's waistband, according to the Morning Sentinel.

Smith told the paper that the tattoo has never been a problem before. Police didn't charge him.