Church altercation leads to infant's death

WHEATON, Minn., Sept. 5 (UPI) -- An altercation over a washer and dryer at a church in Wheaton, Minn., left a 14-month-old girl dead, authorities say.

The Traverse County Sheriff's Office alleges David E. Collins and Darryl G. Kennedy confronted the girl's father, Claude Hankins, at Thy Kingdom Come Church regarding household appliances Hankins received from the church's pastor, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday.

The sheriff's office said Collins allegedly was armed with a baseball bat during Thursday night's incident and while confronting Hankins, the bat struck Hankins' infant daughter.

After Collins and Kennedy left the scene, the unidentified child was taken to a hospital in Fargo, N.D., where she died.

Meanwhile, Collins, 56, and Kennedy, 43, were arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, authorities said.

"I hope when we get through this terrible tragedy, something is learned," Thy Kingdom Come pastor Danny Barnes told the Star Tribune.