A police report is shedding light on details of what happened at a haunted house at Brownwood leading to the arrest of a staffer with The Villages Entertainment Department.
Brian Joseph Mullany, 43, of Ocala, is facing two counts of battery following his arrest at Thursday’s Halloween event at the town square.
Mullany, who stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 250 pounds, was wearing a white-and-black clown costume and working as a “scare actor” in a haunted house at about 7 p.m. that night, according to an arrest report from the Wildwood Police Department.
A little girl who had been in the haunted house told police that she had been shoved by Mullany, who has been working the haunted house for The Villages Entertainment for four years.
The girl told police that Mullany, who was wearing a clown mask, began to follow her and then, “Pushed me as hard as he can.” The child, who was in the haunted house with her sisters, said Mullany’s shove caused a “domino effect,” with another child being pushed into a wall. That child landed on her right knee, for which she has had two prior surgeries. She was evaluated by medical personnel at the scene and transported to the UF Health Emergency Room at Brownwood for further evaluation.
The little girl who had been shoved had a “red and round imprinted mark along with scratches” on her lower back. Her mother completed a form indicating she wants to see Mullany prosecuted.
He denied the accusations.
“I follow the kids, but I do not touch them, I just stomp at them, or blow the horn, and scare the kids, never chasing them down,” Mullany told police.
He described his assignment at the haunted house as “scaring people.”
Mullany has played a key role at high profile events in The Villages over the past few years, notably the Christmas tree lighting events. Prior to joining The Villages Entertainment Department, Mullany worked for the special events department in the City of Inverness.
He was booked at the Sumter County Detention Center and released after posting $2,000 bond.