Santa Monica police arrested a Florida man wanted on felony charges of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 12 during a routine patrol stop at a city park Monday afternoon.
Officers assigned to the Downtown Services Unit were patrolling the lower portion of Crescent Bay Park at approximately 1:49 p.m. June 23 when they contacted Michael Lee Pope for a municipal code violation. A records check revealed Pope had an active felony full extradition warrant out of Marion County, Florida, related to allegations of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor.
Pope was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Santa Monica Jail, where he was booked as a fugitive from justice under California Penal Code 1551.1. He was later transferred to the Los Angeles County Inmate Reception Center.
Pope had previously evaded Florida authorities before his arrest Monday.
In one recent case, Levy County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested him in 2025. In that case, deputies attempted to serve the same Marion County felony warrant for the same charges.
Pope was arrested and faced additional charges for firearms possession after to prior felony drug convictions.
Following that September arrest, Pope was held at the Levy County Jail on a $25,000 bond for the firearms charges and on no-bond status for the Marion County warrant. It's not clear at this time how he left Florida or traveled to Santa Monica.