The couple accused of attacking a worker at Sesame Place in summer were before a district judge Thursday morning.
Troy McCoy, 40, and Shakerra Bonds, 31,of Bronx, New York City, will head to trial after the preliminary hearing for offenses related to the August assault that left a 17-year-old boy who worked at Sesame Place dealing with serious injuries and long lasting problems.
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McCoy will head to trial at a yet unscheduled date on charges of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, and criminal conspiracy.
Bonds had charges of simple assault, harassment, disorderly conduct, and conspiracy forwarded for trial.
The incident happened at the popular theme park in Middletown Township on Sunday, August 9 while McCoy was with Bonds, who he lives with, and two other adults and four children. In the following days, the story drew national attention.
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McCoy and Bonds assaulted the 17-year-old boy after the Sesame Place employee told the group of the state-mandated mask requirement due to COVID-19, police said.
In court papers, authorities said McCoy argued with the teen employee earlier in the day when he asked him to wear his mask. The serious assault happened when the teen again ran into McCoy and their group later in the day.
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“During that confrontation, both McCoy and Bonds struck the employee in the face, knocking him to the ground. While on the ground, the teen lost consciousness and McCoy put him in a headlock,” authorities said.
Witnesses were said to have told police the teen received a “sucker punch.”
McCoy has been accused of carrying out the brunt of the assault.
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Bonds also is alleged to have struck another Sesame Place employee who went to assist the 17-year-old boy.
Following the attack, the group fled Sesame Place and headed back to New York.
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The teen, who testified at Thursday’s hearing, needed double jaw surgery and continues to deal with the effects of the violence.
Bonds’ attorney, Keith McAndrews, said his client acted in self-defense from the teenage boy, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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“Miss Bonds is innocent. She’s a single mother. She’s not at this park to get into confrontations with any employees; she’s there to have a good time. She was confronted by an employee and that’s what really set this thing in motion,” McAndrews told the newspaper.
“This teenager is on a long road to recovery both physically and mentally. Having the community show so much support truly means a lot,” the teen’s family said in August.
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A fundraiser pulled in $40,000 to help pay for the teen’s ongoing physical and mental recovery.
McCoy, who had a previous dangerous encounter with police, was collared by the U.S. Marshal Service on Wednesday, August 19 after the investigation by Middletown Township police and New York authorities. When deputy marshals went to arrest McCoy in the Bronx, he resisted and barricaded himself inside his home. Federal law enforcement made their way through the barricade and used a Taser to subdue the defendant, according to authorities.
Bonds turned herself over to authorities.
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Bonds was free as of Thursday after posting $1,000 bail, and McCoy remained in the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10 percent of $500,000 bail.
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