BROCKTON, Mass. (AP) — A man has been sent to jail for six months after pleading guilty to inappropriately tickling two young girls in a play area at a Massachusetts mall.

Prosecutors say 38-year-old Justin Kettell pleaded guilty on Thursday to a pair of assault and battery counts.

The Bourne man was sentenced to 2 ½ years in jail with six months to serve. He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

A woman told police in April that her daughter and her daughter’s friend were being chased around the indoor play area for children ages 3 to 12 at the Kingston Collection mall by a stranger.


Authorities say two parents and a worker unsuccessfully tried to stop him.

Police identified Kettell using a parent’s cellphone pictures.