Softball Assult.

[JRutledge]

Softball dad guilty in assault of ump
Naperville man awaits sentencing
By Art Barnum
Tribune staff reporter

May 10, 2005

The Naperville father of a high school softball player was convicted Monday of misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct for swearing at and threatening an umpire.

Mark Riley, 44, faces up to 30 days in the County Jail when he is sentenced June 6 by Judge Brian McKillip.

"The purpose of interscholastic sports is to build character," said McKillip, who convicted Riley of the two charges, but acquitted him of the more serious charge of battery, which carries a sentence of up to a year in jail.

Riley was arrested after an April 28, 2004 game in West Chicago between the freshman teams from Naperville Central and West Chicago High Schools.

Assistant State's Atty. William Wu said that in an early part of the game, Riley's daughter was warned about wearing an ear stud and made her remove it. Illinois high school rules prohibit wearing jewelry during sporting events.

The next inning, when the same girl came to bat, she was wearing a bracelet. The umpire ejected her.

Riley began yelling and cursing at the umpire from the sidelines and was ordered to leave the field area, Wu said.

"The parent became upset and disagreed with the call," Wu said.

The umpire, Phillip Garee, 18, a senior at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, testified that after the game as he was walking to his car, Riley approached him, stood in front of him, swore at him and poked his finger in his chest.

Marc Wolfe, Riley's attorney, said, "there is no evidence of any physical contact. This was nothing more than a school baseball game and a slight disagreement between a parent and an umpire."

Garee, who is IHSA-certified to be a softball umpire, said he was happy with the judge's decision.

"Umpires aren't protected enough," he said.


Copyright © 2005, The Chicago Tribune

[Ed Hickland]

An excellent case for special legislation for assault on sports officials.

Many states have special categories for assaults on police offices, judges, even school teachers acting in their official capacities. Why not sports officials?

[Texas Aggie]

I've gone back and forth on the special legislation issue. On one hand, I'm not a big fan of creating a status just for some people, especially one based on behavior or actions. On the other hand, sporting events do create a specially charged atmosphere where things can get out of hand and the law needs to take that into account.

Not too many people are going to have the inclination to assault me, being 6 foot, 240 fairly solid (OK, OK, 255 and a little soft -- I'm working on that for this fall), and somewhat mean looking (not always a great attribute). I think the key things are to take care of business, be and look professional, don't argue -- walk away from any conflict, and most importantly, insist on some supervision by administration. Also, if you are ever accosted in any way, you MUST report it. Whether it turns into a criminal, civil, or simply a league administrative issue, it must be dealt with.

Don't ever let anyone talk you out of filing criminal charges or a civil case IF IT IS WARRANTED. But always work the process first: report it to the league or state association.

Originally posted by JRutledge
Softball dad guilty in assault of ump
Naperville man awaits sentencing
By Art Barnum
Tribune staff reporter

May 10, 2005


The umpire, Phillip Garee, 18, a senior at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, testified that after the game as he was walking to his car, Riley approached him, stood in front of him, swore at him and poked his finger in his chest.

Marc Wolfe, Riley's attorney, said, "there is no evidence of any physical contact. This was nothing more than a school baseball game and a slight disagreement between a parent and an umpire."

This attorney is wrong! That parent shouldn't have met the ump in the parking lot. NEVER! If the parent had a true complaint he should have taken it to the next level.

Nothing gets done in the parking lot after the game...Only trouble!

[SWFLguy]

It is imperative that school officials provide
football officials with a secure escort on and off
the field and to their vehicles after the game.
Alas, this action is sorely lacking at many schools.
I'm a big man too (6'3" 270) but I am very leery
that some irate fan/parent is going to come flying
out of a crowd of fans and accost the crew.
There is usually a police presence at the games.
I see no reason why one of the officers could not be
assigned that duty. At the least, a school administrator
or his/her official representative should escort officials.
I applaud schools that already provide this layer of safety.

[Ed Hickland]

Originally posted by Texas Aggie
I've gone back and forth on the special legislation issue. On one hand, I'm not a big fan of creating a status just for some people, especially one based on behavior or actions. On the other hand, sporting events do create a specially charged atmosphere where things can get out of hand and the law needs to take that into account.

Hey Texas Aggie, one of the biggest reasons some who have left the sport complain about is the harassment which can lead to violence.

There is a need to develop a deterrent to the idiots who might physically attack an official. Is it special circumstances? If not, what then?

Sports officials are like police, judges, etc. who are often attacked for performing their duty to enforce sportsmanship. Some of our colleagues have been physically harmed and the courts have generally viewed these assaults as being you might say routine.

The states see nothing wrong in enacting various special circumstances such as bias laws which make the perpetrators subject to additional fines and penalties because their actions were taken against a person based upon race, creed, position, etc. Why not for us?