PERRYVILLE, Md. — A Baltimore man faces robbery charges after a child pulled a prank that quickly turned violent at Great Wolf Lodge in Perryville.
Police were called to the Lodge just before 11pm on August 1.
Parents reported their 12-year-old son had carried out what's widely known as a "Ding Dong Ditch" outside another visitor's room.
Dictionary.com defines a "Ding Dong Ditch" as "a prank in which participants knock on the door or ring the doorbell of a house, apartment, etc., and then run away before the occupant answers the door."
In this case the child reportedly ran a cart into the door of a room where 37-year-old Eugene T. Doughty had been staying.
According to charging documents, Doughty chased the child down the hallway before slapping and shoving him to the ground.
During the confrontation, Doughty allegedly took the child's iPhone 15. Police later got it back.
"Let it be known [the child] is 12-years-old and approximately 80-90 pounds while Eugene is 37-years-old and approximately 220 pounds," police wrote in charging documents.
The incident was captured on Great Wolf's surveillance system.
Court records show Doughty has a criminal history including a 2007 robbery and theft conviction in Baltimore County that landed him behind bars for 18 months.
Doughty is currently free on cash bond, and due back in court on August 31. He's being represented by the Cecil County Public Defender's Office.
