No children were hurt Monday when a man tried to enter a Kent childcare facility with what initially was reported to be a gun.
A 26-year-old man reported to be homeless is in custody after Tiny Town Child Care and Learning Center at 1145 Lake St. in Kent went into lockdown.
Kent police Lt. Mike Lewis said it was reported that a man smoking a cigarette and carrying what appeared to be a gold-colored handgun walked up to the front door of the daycare and tried to enter.
“Thank goodness the front door was secure so he never had face-to-face interaction with anybody who was inside the daycare,” Lewis said.
Lewis said when officers arrived, the man had left, but witnesses said he had walked eastbound toward the city line with Brady Lake and a bridge. After crossing the bridge, police found a person matching the description and briefly closed the road while they took the man into custody.
They discovered what appeared to be a gun was actually a gold lighter.
“We do not know why this person walked up to the front door of a daycare holding something in his hand that looked like a gun, but it certainly caused a lot of concern and a lot of panic for everybody who was inside,” Lewis said.
The childcare center’s director, who declined to provide her name, said she was outside, at the other end of a plaza where the center is located and called another administrator inside when she saw the man. The children were moved to a secure location during a lockdown that lasted about 20 minutes.
“We have a very good security system in place, and our doors automatically lock behind us whenever you come in,” she said.
Afterward, parents were called to pick up their children when they were able, an effort to give staff a “mental health break” following the incident.
“It was a scary situation for teachers, children, parents, even,” the director said. “I mean, imagine getting that phone call. And just, I’m so glad we didn’t assume that anything was fake or anything like that. You can never be too sure.”
She said the children were shielded as much as possible from what was happening and “are doing great.”
“They were a little, you know, just confused, I would say,” she said. “We didn’t really let them in on what was going on. You know, that’s no place for kids. But the kids, they were able to adjust again today just fine. And we actually had one of the officers came back up there and gave them all stickers and just made sure that they were still comfortable with officers after everything.”
While no one at the childcare center knew the man, Lewis said police are very familiar with him through prior dealings.
“We’re grateful that nobody was injured,” said Lewis. “Again, we don’t know why a person would do this, walking up to a business while carrying what appeared to be a firearm and trying to make entry. It must have been absolutely terrifying to the employees inside, as well as any children who may have observed this person. We’re grateful that everything very well and very professionally by our officers.”
The man pleaded not guilty Monday at his arraignment in Portage County Municipal Court. He faces charges of illegal possession of an object indistinguishable from a firearm in a school safety zone, inducing panic and possession of criminal tools, all first-degree misdemeanors. He was ordered held in the Portage County Jail on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.
Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Homeless man charged after flashing fake gun at Kent child care center