A Killeen man is facing several charges after being accused of telling a daycare he did not want his daughter anymore.
Thursday afternoon, Killeen police were called to a daycare facility in the 1200 block of South W.S. Young on a report that a man had dropped his 4-year-old daughter off and told the employees he did not want her anymore.
Employees of the center got the man’s license number and called police.
They told police the child did not attend their daycare, and that they did not know either the child or the man.
Police ran a check on the plate number and found the car was registered to a man with an address in the 600 block of West Hallmark.
An officer went to that address in an attempt to talk with the man.
A man, later identified as Antonio Heath, Jr. answered the door and confirmed that he had indeed just dropped a child off at a daycare facility and that he did not want her anymore.
Police say he tried to break off contact with the officer by slamming the door, but the officer was able to grab him.
There was a struggle during which the officer attempted to deploy his Taser.
The man ended up grabbing the Taser and taking it from the officer.
Another officer arrived and they were able to take Heath into custody,
During the struggle, one of the officers was injured and was taken to the Seton Hospital emergency room for treatment.
Child Protective Services was notified and went to the daycare to take custody of the child.
Heath was taken into custody, with Killeen spokesman Captain Eric Morsbach saying he has initially been charged with attempting to take a peace officer’s weapon, assault on a public servant and abandoning a child.
Police say the case has now been forwarded to the Bell County District Attorney’s Office.
(Story from www.centexproud.com)
