A man from North Carolina is behind bars after he was accused of molesting two young children over the holidays, according to the sheriff’s office.
But not before their father took matters into his own hands.
Mark Stanley, 60, was found with “severe injuries to his face” when deputies with the Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Office in Virginia interrupted what they called a “chaotic scene” on Dec. 29. Another man with a handgun was “quickly approaching” him when law enforcement arrived.
That man — who eventually dropped the weapon — told deputies he caught Stanley that morning in his children’s bedroom, according to a news release.
The kids, ages 2 and 3, were reportedly “nude from the waist down.”
Stanley was visiting Virginia over the holidays, deputies said. The father of the two children got up early to check on them when he discovered Stanley with them.
“When the (father) questioned what he was doing in the room, Mr. Stanley pushed (him) out of the room, then lock(ed) the door,” deputies said in the release. “The (father) forced entry into the room and began beating Mr. Stanley.”
It wasn’t clear who called 911, the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star reported. But dispatchers “heard only loud screaming in the background.”
Sheriff’s Capt. Liz Scott told the newspapers that deputies possibly saved Stanley’s life.
Stanley was hospitalized before being taken to Rappahannock Regional Jail on two counts of indecent liberties and one count of domestic assault. He’s being held without bond.
The father was not charged, and both children were taken to the hospital “to be evaluated for injuries,” according to the release.
The investigation is ongoing.
*story by Kansas City Star