PARRISH, FL. - Manatee County Deputies have charged a man with felonious assault after he used a Christmas tree as a weapon to attack his father.

In a report from the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, 37-year-old Thomas Lackie was arrested after deputies say he threw a three-foot Christmas tree at his father. Lackie lives with his parents in Parrish.

The tree missed, but deputies say the man then tried to use the steel base from the tree to strike his father.

Because it weighs about five pounds, deputies say the tree could have caused serious injuries, prompting the felony assault charge.

Lackie denies he tried to strike his father.