Police in Walpole are investigating after a man allegedly assaulted a 6-year-old boy after the boy knocked on his door while trick-or-treating Halloween.
According to the police report, the child's mother said her son walked up to a home to ask for some candy. Shortly after, the mother says her son came back screaming and crying, saying the man had tried to beat him up.
The child told police the man pushed him, knocked off his hat, pulled his hair and pinched him. The boy also said the man called him a spoiled brat and that he repeatedly said he was going to beat him up.
The boy's father then went over to speak with the homeowner and said he was met with extreme hostility.
Police say they spoke with Richard Lawlor, 73, the homeowner, who was standing on his front porch.
According to Lawlor, the child had tried to run into his house because he didn't like the candy he got and Lawlor's response was to push him away from his door.
While Lawlor wouldn't speak with Boston 25 News on camera, he said the boy was “an unruly child and I did something I wasn’t supposed to do." "He tried to get in my house and I wouldn’t let him in. Twice I blocked him, and the third time I grabbed hold of his sweatshirt,” Lawlor said.
Lawlor denied knocking off the boy's hat and pinching him.
Police said Lawlor was fidgeting and he had a handgun in his belt, loaded with six bullets. He reportedly smelled of alcohol and admitted to drinking two glasses of wine earlier in the day.
In an odd turn of events, shortly after they arrested Lawlor, police said his wife crashed her car through some bushes on Gill Street and nearly smashed into a house.
After a brief investigation, police arrested Lawlor's wife for operating under the influence.
Lawlor was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace and assault and battery. He also consented to a breath test and had his license to carry a gun suspended.
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