Florida man threw lit firecrackers under child's bed as a prank, deputies say
(Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office)
CRESTVIEW, Fla. (FOX 13) - Deputies arrested a man in the Panhandle for child cruelty after they said he threw lit firecrackers under a sleeping child's bed as a prank.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said 44-year-old Matthew Morrison threw a string of lit firecrackers under a 9-year-old girl's bed in what he told investigators was a "prank gone wrong."
"The little girl told deputies she woke up to the sound of fireworks exploding in her room, causing her to be frightened, cry and shake," the sheriff's office wrote.
The homeowner said Morrison lives in a tent outside of the home and went into the house without permission. After the suspect threw the firecrackers under the girl's bed, the homeowner told deputies he chased Morrison out of the home with a stick.
Deputies took Morrison into custody and found two grams of methamphetamine in his pocket.
He faces charges of child cruelty without great harm, burglary and possession of a controlled substance.