candy dispute leads to rampage
After providing his address, suspect hurls pumpkins at house, smashes bird feeder
Sunday, November 2, 2003
BY LIZ COBBS
News Staff Reporter
A 43-year-old Ann Arbor man was arrested in a bizarre Halloween night incident after police said he damaged the house of a woman because he believed she didn't give candy to his son, who was trick-or-treating.
Before he damaged the house, the man gave the woman a slip of paper with his address on it and told her to call police. Police said he then threw a small pumpkin through the front window, tossed a second pumpkin at the front door, and uprooted and smashed a bird feeder standing in the front yard.
Ann Arbor police said the incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Friday in the 2900 block of Lake Hurst Court where the man was taking his son trick-or-treating.
According to the police report, the child went to a house where a resident was passing out candy. The boy, about 5 years old, returned to his father, crying, and said the resident didn't give him any candy.
The father went back up to the front door of the house to confront the homeowner. Police said the woman told the man that she had given the boy candy. The father and his son left, but they returned a few minutes later.
The man approached the woman and handed her a piece of paper that had his address written on it. The man told the homeowner, "Call the police." He then threw the pumpkins and smashed the bird feeder.
A neighbor heard the commotion and came to see what was going on. As the father headed toward a large potted plant, the neighbor yelled at him to stop. Heeding the neighbor, the father stopped and left the property.
The father took his son and went home. He was there when police arrived.
Officers arrested the man on a charge of malicious destruction of property. He was released on his own recognizance. He has not yet been arraigned.
(734) XXX-XXXX. *edited by cynthetiq*