BOARDMAN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- An Ohio man is facing charges after police said he put on a clown mask and chased his 6-year-old daughter around their neighborhood as punishment for behavioral issues, according to multiple reports.
Boardman Township police arrested Vernon Barrett Jr. on charges of child endangerment and inducing panic Saturday after officers were called to Lemans Drive, WFMJ reported.
Barrett told authorities that he put on a clown mask and chased his daughter as an alternative to spanking her for disciplinary issues, according to The Associated Press.
Authorities said Barrett's daughter jumped into a stranger's car and then ran down the street to a stranger's apartment, screaming that a clown was chasing her, WKBN reported.
A tenant at the apartment spotted the masked man, who police identified as Barrett, and yelled that he was going to call police, according to WKBN. Police said Barrett started to run in the opposite direction and the tenant fired a gun, shooting grass near Barrett, the news station reported.
The tenant, who was not identified, was charged with using a weapon while intoxicated, WFMJ reported.
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