NAPLES, Fla. — The man accused of assaulting a teenage boy in the lobby of a Collier County movie theater has pleaded not guilty.
Carl Pukin was due to appear in court Friday, but his attorney filed the plea documents a day early, allowing him to bypass the hearing.
On June 10, as crowds were exiting the theater, security camera footage shows 41-year-old Pukin and the 15-year-old boy engage in some sort of confrontation. Pukin is seen grabbing the boy by the throat and pushing him to the ground, while at the same time holding a young child.
According to the police report, Pukin accused the boy of bumping into the child. Bystanders eventually separated the two.
Pukin is charged with battery in this case.
Court records show he is simultaneously charged in two other, separate incidents involving physical violence including one related to domestic violence.
