Nobody Sees the Humor in Florida Firecracker Prank

Girl, 9, woke to an explosion under her bed
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 8, 2019 4:32 PM CDT
Firecrackers Under Girl's Bed Were Just a Prank, Man Says
A man lit firecrackers and threw them under the bed of a sleeping child in Florida.   (Getty/Nenadpress)

In what he called "a prank gone wrong," a man faces charges in Florida after allegedly lighting firecrackers and throwing them under the bed of a sleeping 9-year-old girl. Matthew Morrison, 44, was living in a tent outside a home in Crestview, Florida, sheriff's officials say in a statement. The homeowner said Morrison went into the house without permission on Saturday, the Sun Sentinel reports, and threw a string of firecrackers under the child's bed. "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 statement says. The homeowner says he chased Morrison out of the house with a stick.

No one was hurt, but deputies said the girl was left terrified, per Fox News. Morrison was charged with burglary, child cruelty without great harm, and possession of a controlled substance, according to jail records; deputies said they found 2 grams of methamphetamine on him. The homeowner said he was letting Morrison sleep on his property as a favor to an acquaintance, but that's over. (On the 4th of July, crews dodged rockets during a fireworks stand fire in South Carolina.)

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