The cops in Oklahoma City this week nabbed a pastor who was allegedly targeting a local boy in the early morning hours, as the child waited for school.
But the boy's father got to the pastor first, beating him up for going after his son.
As outlined by News 9 of Oklahoma, 33-year-old Michael Coghill was apprehended by police for "inappropriately touching a boy waiting for a school bus" on charges of lewd/indecent acts to a child.
This incident was corroborated by mother and witness Lisa Ward, as she had her own daughters waiting for the school bus at the same place where Coghill is said to have gone after the nine-year-old boy.
Ward at first thought he was simply a routine jogger in this particular neighborhood.
But, eventually, suspect Michael Coghill was apprehended after the boy's own father caught on to what was happening and stepped in.
It was on Wednesday this week that "while he was watching the school bus stop, our suspect ran by him, ran past the bus stop where the children were waiting. Turned around, came back and stopped where he touched the child," explained Oklahoma City Police Sergeant Dillon Quirk.
Further details are shared by the local Fox 25 station. (The article says the incident occurred on the morning of Sept. 23rd, a Thursday, but Oklahoma City Police Department’s Facebook post says the altercation happened on Wednesday, the 22nd.)
The unnamed nine-year-old victim told police that Coghill conducted inappropriate touching as recently as Sept. 20, this past Monday. Moreover, it's alluded to that the conduct had happened beforehand too.
The kid's father both made sure to videotape Coghill inappropriately interacting with his son, but then he got out of his car to face the local pastor head-on, leaving the suspect with a fractured skull after being tackled.
"[Coghill] was in the cop car, bloody. It was just gut-wrenching knowing he was even in that cop car across the street," said Ward.
The father of the victim got into a physical altercation with Coghill, leading to the visible injuries seen in Coghill's mugshot.
Coghill's employer, the Lakehoma Church of Christ, said the pastor had a "clean background check" when they brought him on, but nonetheless are "cooperating with law enforcement as needed." The employer also announced Coghill was fired.