According to police, the father of a Darien teenage girl going to a prom last week said he’d spent the day helping her shop to get ready, but when the girl’s mother arrived home and saw her daughter leaving with prom clothes in hand, an argument started.
That eventually led to the man’s arrest.
Darien police gave this account (including accusations not proven in court):
The father, a 43-year-old man who lives in Norwalk, is subject to an order of protection barring him from actions including threatening or assault against the mother. (It did not mandate that he have no contact with the mother.)
The order of protection resulted from a previous domestic dispute. The mother, a Darien resident with custody of the daughter, told police that she allows the father to spend time with his daughter.
The mother said that when she arrived home and saw her daughter leaving, she started asking questions about her daughter’s plans for the rest of the evening. The father told police that he saw the two arguing, thought it would ruin his daughter’s day and approached the mother to stop the argument.
He said the mother slammed a door on his foot. The mother said he put his foot in the doorway to prevent her from closing it. They both agreed that he grabbed her by a hand and pulled her outside. The daughter left in the car with him.
The mother called police, telling them about the protection order. Police saw she had no marks on her hands, didn’t appear to be injured and needed no medical attention. Police contacted the father, who came to Darien Police Headquarters.
Police charged him with disorderly conduct (a misdemeanor) and violating an order of protection (a felony). He told police that he thought the order had expired (it doesn’t expire until Dec. 31, 2017).
His bond was set at $10,000, which he later posted.
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