An Entertainment Department staffer has entered a plea following his arrest at a Halloween event last month in The Villages.
Brian Joseph Mullany, 43, of Ocala, pleaded not guilty this past week in Sumter County Court to two counts of battery following his arrest Oct. 23 at a Halloween event at Brownwood Paddock Square. He is being represented by attorney Jaimie Washo Spivey. Mullany remains free on $2,000 bond.
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 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 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.