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Worst Dad Ever Puts on Clown Mask to Discipline His Child, Almost Gets Shot

 Hey guys for Complex News, I'm Natasha Martinez///  Thanks to the massive success of the IT reboot this month, creepy clowns popping up in public is unfortunately still a thing.  While it's one thing to dress up like a terrifying red nose creature for shits and giggles, it's another to use it as a disciplinary tactic for a six-year-old child. Why any parent would think that would be a good idea is beyond me, but here we are...  Last weekend, an Ohio man by the name of Vernon Barrett Jr. decided to wear a scary clown mask in order to teach his six year old daughter a lesson. However the lesson he learned was that, if you're going to dress up like a monster in the Midwest, someone is going to try and shoot you.  Apparently Barrett Jr's daughter, J.B., was having some behavioral issues at school. So at about 10p.m. last Saturday night, he began to chase his daughter outside of their apartment in Boardman Township, Ohio.  Not knowing that it was her father under the mask, because you know she's 6, she fled to a stranger's car nearby, jumped inside, and begged for help. Her clown father followed her and pulled her out of the car, freaking out the driver, who then called 911.  Barrett Jr's daughter continued to run, and eventually ended up in the apartment of a neighbor named Dion Santiago. When Santiago heard the story and spotted the clown outside of the building, he pulled out a gun and fired a shot out the window.  By the time officers responded to the call, Santiago and Barrett Jr, who was still in the clown mask, were in a heated argument. Barrett was charged with child endangerment and inducing panic, and Santiago was charged with using weapons while intoxicated. They are both scheduled to appear in court later today. J.B. was left in the custody of Barrett Jr's girlfriend for the time being.  When asked to explain his reasoning behind the mask, Barrett Jr. said J.B.'s mother was in prison for child endangerment after she had stepped on her and broken several of her ribs. Because of that he doesn't using spanking to discipline her. A police report stated,  Barrett said due to this he cannot discipline his daughter and reported they have been having behavior problems with J.B. at school and home. Barrett said that he decided to use the clown mask into scaring her to behave” but that the “prank” got out of hand. It's no surprise that when a psychologist broke down what was wrong with Barrett Jr's choice of discipline, she said it's important for kids to feel safe in their home.  A 6-year-old’s ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality is a little shaky. Children learn not through suffering but by doing it right ... In general, we want to be a source of safety rather than fear for our kids.  Hopefully parents hearing this story won't copycat Barrett Jr. At around this time last year there were several creepy clown sightings nationwide, sending communities and local schools into a panic. Because of copycat pranks law enforcement was forced to issue stern statements about clowns in general.  That's your news for now, for more of today's trending stories subscribe to Complex on YouTube. For Complex News, I'm Natasha Martinez.