A 42-year-old Shelton man is accused of paying a teenager $21 to fight a 13-year-old girl he believed was bullying his daughter.
The man, Phillip Prokop of Old Coram Road, was charged on May 26 with inciting injury to a person, risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit third-degree assault. He posted $10,000 bond in the case shortly after his arrest in May.
He entered not guilty pleas and is next scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby on July 9.
Police said during the fight between the teenager and the 13-year-old girl, Prokop grabbed another teen to stop her from getting involved in the fight.
The parents of both of the 13-year-old victims refused medical attention for their children while on scene, according to a press release issued by Shelton police on July 6.
Police say the fight took place at Huntington Plaza.
The teenager, who was 17, was charged with second-degree breach of peace and risk of injury to a minor, according to Lt. Robert Kozlowsky.
Frank J. Riccio II is the lawyer representing Prokop. He said he is still investigating the circumstances of his client’s case, so there wasn’t much he could say.
“There is very little that I can talk about at this point, but he has entered a not guilty plea to the charges and we are conducting our own investigation of the case,” Riccio said Friday. “He does deny the allegations.”
Riccio said Prokop will appear in court Monday and begin discussing the case with prosecutors.
Riccio said Prokop’s daughter was, in fact, a victim of bullying.
“My understanding is that yes, that was happening. I can say that, in general, when a parent hears their child is being bullied, you become concerned. But as far as this case is concerned, it is still too early to figure out what really happened here,” Riccio said.
