on his elbow, bruise over his eye and a bloody lip after being tackled by Van Plew, but the boy refused medical attention.

"Given the nature of my son's injuries and what I understood of the situation, it seemed appropriate to agree to having charges pressed," Madeo said.

Madeo's son had initially been charged with trespass by police, a violation, but that charge is not admissible in Family Court, said Lt. Robert Berben of the Bethlehem Police. Madeo's son's name is being withheld because of his age.

There is a discrepancy between the accounts of the incident by Madeo's son and Van Plew. The police report states that Van Plew tackled the boy in his yard near the street, but Madeo's son told police he was tackled some distance off Vantackled him. The boy told police that Van Plew pinned his arm behind his back and applied pressure, according to the boy's father, and threatened to kill the boy if he tried to escape from inside the house, where Van Plew confined him until police arrived.

The police report listed Madeo's son at 5-foot-7 and 120 pounds and Van Plew at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds.

Van Plew denied he threatened the boy. Rather, he said through his attorney that Madeo's son claimed he had a knife in his pocket and threatened to kill the homeowner. It turned out to be a cellphone in his pocket. Van Plew also said that Madeo's son kept up a vile barrage of profanities, including crude sexual remarks about Van Plew's wife.

The boy's father stood