Joe Francis arrested

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Alex

10th April 2007

Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis was arrested Tuesday in Florida, PEOPLE has confirmed.

Francis was arrested at 6:30 a.m. at the Panama City airport on a warrant seeking his arrest for criminal contempt of court. He is currently being held at the Bay County jail, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshal's Office says.

Although Francis told FOX News's Geraldo Rivera on Monday that he would surrender to authorities, the arrest was carried out by airport police who recognized him before he could present himself to the Marshal's Office.

A judge ordered Francis's arrest last week after Francis reportedly changed the terms of a settlement deal stemming from a 2003 lawsuit in which seven women accused him of victimizing them by filming them in sexual situations while they were on spring break in Panama City.