A Father’s Day party at a Shelton daycare Friday ended with the arrest of a Derby man.
The man’s lawyer denies the charges and said he’ll be pleading not guilty in the case.
In a prepared statement, Shelton Police Detective Richard Bango said the Apple Tree Daycare on Long Hill Cross Road was hosting a party at which children gave their fathers cards for the holiday.
A 5‑year-old playfully took a card that 33-year-old Lance Churchill’s son had made for him, Bango said. The child ran around the room with the card.
“Churchill, who is 6’4 and 270 lbs, responded by chasing the child and picking him up over his head,” Bango said. “Once Churchill put the child down he pinned him to the ground and began to scream at him in front of all the other children.”
Bango said the daycare’s staff “ripped the child away from Churchill and called the police.”
“Once police arrived Churchill wanted the 5‑year-old boy arrested,” Bango said.
Police charged Churchill with risk of injury to a minor and disorderly conduct. He was released after posting a $1,500 bond, Bango said.
Churchill is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby June 30.
Churchill’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said Churchill denies the allegations and will be pleading not guilty in the case.
“He never put this child in any risk of harm,” Sherman said. “He is a loving and hard-working father and husband who has never been in trouble before. We hope to clear this up in court quickly.”
