Joe Francis, the creator behind Girls Gone Wild, was arrested at the Panama City airport in Florida earlier this morning. He is being held at the Bay County jail.

Francis told Geraldo Rivera yesterday that he would surrender to authorities but airport police recognized Francis before he could surrender. An arrest was ordered last week after Francis changed the terms of a settlement deal regarding a 2003 lawsuit in which seven women accused him of victimizing them by filming them in sexual situations while they were in Panama City on spring break. He was supposed to begin serving jail time in Panama City last Thursday, but he did not show up.

He told Geraldo yesterday:

“I’m not trying to hide at all. I’m on my way to Florida right now to turn myself in and comply with the judge’s order. I would never run from justice.”

I think Joe might have been a little busy last week since it was, for the most part, Spring Break last week, wasn’t it? Heh heh.

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