A Massachusetts teacher has been charged with putting his toddler into a game machine at a New Hampshire shopping mall and using her to steal prizes.

Teacher puts his toddler in game machine to steal prizes for himself

Police in Salem say 34-year-old Anthony Helinski, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, turned himself in Wednesday, five days after witnesses at the Mall at Rockingham Park recorded video of a man encouraging the girl to hand out prizes from within the KeyMaster game. The video then shows the toddler climbing out of the machine.

Andover Public Schools tells WCVB-TV that Helinski has been placed on leave from his job as a middle school teacher.

Helinski is charged with theft, trespassing and child endangerment. He does not have a listed phone number and it was unclear whether he has an attorney.

Cover photo: Sept. 19, 2018 booking photo released by the Salem Police Department shows Anthony Helinski, of Lawrence, Mass., arrested after turning himself in, and who faces charges after being accused of using a toddler to steal prizes from the inside of a toy vending machine game at a mall in Salem, N.H. (Photo: AP)