A Brooklyn man is facing several charges after he barged into a church naked, and exposed himself to parishioners and a third grade class Wednesday afternoon.
The incident happened around 2:00 p.m., at St. James Catholic Church on Water Street in the Town of Killingly.
The pastor told NBC Connecticut he got in through a front door that was supposed to be locked.
“It's very scary your heart stops a beat for a minute or two,” said Tracy Caffrey.
It was scary for that parent, because her young daughter was inside and saw everything.
“She said it was scary she said it was sudden,” Caffrey added.
The stranger allegedly exposed himself to a third grade class from the St. James School a few feet away. The kids were in the middle of mass practice, and parishioners were there too.
“It was very scary, they were definitely distraught,” Caffrey said.
The teacher inside the church did everything she could to protect her students. “She told the man to leave and told the kids go to the school immediately,” explained Father John O’Neill.
Police showed up right away after they got a 911 call. They arrested Gary Pohronezny at the St. James Church, and took him to the hospital for a psychological evaluation. The Pastor told NBC Connecticut Pohronezny was known to police.
While the scare at the church was tough for families to deal with, they were grateful no one was hurt.
“Very thankful, especially after everything that's happened lately,” Caffrey said.
They were also thankful the unwanted visitor was put behind bars.
After police made the arrest they went back to the St. James School and talked to the kids because they were scared. The goal was to calm their fears and make sure they felt safe.
The suspect, Gary Pohronezny, was charged with disorderly conduct, risk of injury to minors, and interfering with police. He will be in court on January 10th.
