Children threatened, man arrested

A Cooksville daycare centre went into lockdown for nearly two hours today after a man, believed to be an estranged stepfather, threatened to kill children and workers.
Peel Regional Police arrested a Mississauga man near Dundas St. and Central Pkwy. just before 1 p.m. He's charged with two counts of uttering threats.
Police responded to Tiny Treasure Mississauga Day Care Centre, on King St. W., just after 10:30 a.m. after a worker called 9-1-1 to report the incident.
Peel Cst. J.P. Valade said a man approached two children at the centre while they were outside and made one of them "visibly upset" during a conversation.
When a daycare worker took the children away and denied the man access to them, "he made a direct threat to the daycare worker and a general threat to kill all the kids," Valade said. 
Staff called police, locked the doors and ordered everyone to stay inside, police said. The centre houses 68 children and 10 staff.
Valade wouldn't confirm the man's relationship with the children, but an officer on scene said he's their stepfather.
Police alerted Mississauga Transit and area businesses to the incident, and provided them with a description of the man.
Marco Dos-Reis, 36, is charged. He'll appear tomorrow in Brampton court for a bail hearing.

lrosella@mississauga.net