- Mall Santa alleges sex assault
- Dec 18:
- Woman accused of Santa groping: 'I did not do anything wrong'
DANBURY -- A 33-year-old woman was charged with fourth-degree sexual assault Saturday after allegedly groping a man playing Santa Claus at the Danbury Fair mall.
Sandrama Lamy, 33, of Danbury, is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, according to Danbury Detective Lt. Thomas Michael..
Two messages seeking comment were left on Lamy's answering machine.
Details leading up to the alleged fondling are sketchy.
"I don't know what the deal was. It was just bizarre," the mall Santa told a reporter, referring all other questions about the incident to Cherry Hill Photo, the company that runs the Danbury Fair mall Santa photo setup.
Cherry Hill Photo did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
According to information provided by the Danbury Police Department, officers were dispatched to the mall Saturday at 8:45 p.m.
The mall Santa told police that Lamy touched him inappropriately while sitting on his lap.
"The security officer at the mall said Santa Claus has been sexually assaulted," Michael said.
Lamy was also charged with breach of peace.
"She must have caused a commotion over there," Michael said.
Lamy was released on a promise to appear Jan. 3 in Danbury Superior Court.
Danbury Fair mall spokeswoman Melissa Eigen called the alleged groping "an isolated incident."
"The safety of our guests and employees is a top priority, and we strive to create a safe and enjoyable shopping environment at all our facilities and Danbury Fair specifically,"
2007 has not been a great year for mall Santas.
Earlier this month in Missoula, Mont., a mall Santa was assaulted with a pumpkin pie.
Meanwhile, a department store Santa in Australia claims he lost his job earlier this month because he said "Ho, ho, ho."
His bosses had asked him to say "Hi, hi, hi."
"Santa Tim" Connaghan is the president of RealSantas.com and teaches hundreds of people a year how to be Santas.
He said the Danbury Fair mall incident, if true, is one of kind.
Santas usually have to worry about kids tugging beards and teens throwing pennies from the mall rafters.
"I have been doing this 40 years, and I've never heard of charges being lodged either way -- by a guest against a Santa or a Santa against a guest," Connaghan said.
It isn't unusual for an adult to sit and pose with a picture with a mall Santa.
"I've had some very nice ladies sit on my lap," Connaghan said.
A harmless flirtation isn't out of the norm.
"Once in a while they'll say 'I hope Mrs. Claus isn't going to be upset.' You have to be discreet and kind and say 'Oh no, she'll be OK. You can sit here, but only for one photo.'"
http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_7751062
"I don't know what's going on. I don't know if he was confused, it was a false report," Sandrama Lamy, 33, said this morning. Lamy said she was window shopping at the mall Saturday with a friend when she decided to get a picture with a man playing Santa Claus. A woman -- apparently working with the mall Santa -- made a comment after the picture was snapped, Lamy said. "I did not sit on his lap. A woman there said 'Be careful, that's my husband.' I said 'What does that have to do with the picture?'" Lamy said. "That's all I said, and I left." "A couple of hours later," security officers stopped Lamy, who was still in the mall. Lamy said she worked as a sales associate in a retail store at the mall for nine years, but is currently out of work due to an injury. "Why would I do this? There were so many people there. If he (Santa) needed a few extra bucks I would have given it to him," Lamy said. "I've never been involved in a crime or anything. This is shocking to me." Lamy said she paid for her photo with Santa, but declined to share it with The News-Times. "It doesn't matter, because I did not do anything wrong," Lamy said. Danbury police charged Lamy Saturday with fourth-degree sexual assault, after the mall Santa contacted police and said the woman touched him in an inappropriate manner. She is scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior
