Umpire tackles deputy at youth game, then fans rush to help, Missouri sheriff says
A baseball umpire is facing charges after he was accused of shoving a parent and then tackled a sheriff’s deputy to the ground, authorities in Missouri said.
Deputies with the Camden County Sheriff’s Office were called to a baseball game at Ballparks National on Saturday, May 13.
An arriving deputy talked with a player’s parent who reported that the umpire shoved her after they got into a disagreement, the sheriff’s office said in a May 15 news release.
The deputy then went to the umpire to get his side of the story, authorities said, but the umpire would not identify himself.
“The umpire then attempted to walk away from the deputy who was still conducting his investigation,” officials said. “When the deputy stopped the umpire, he turned on the deputy and took him to the ground in what witnesses described as a choke hold.”
The two struggled as fans rushed to help, according to the release. The deputy was then able to arrest the 56-year-old umpire.
The deputy was later taken to a hospital with injuries, authorities said. The umpire was booked into jail and is charged with first-degree assault special victim with serious physical injury and resisting arrest.
He’s being held on a $100,000 bond.
Ballparks National in Macks Creek is a privately owned youth baseball and softball complex, according to its website.
“This was the first incident of this kind at Ballparks National in over 4,000 games played at the complex,” Ballparks National - Lake of the Ozarks said in a Facebook post. “These types of incidents or behavior of this nature will not be tolerated, and this individual will no longer have any association with Ballparks National, nor will be allowed on the facility grounds.”
Ballparks National said the umpire was a third-party contractor.
“We pride ourselves on the experience our guests have at our facility. We in no way condone any of the actions that took place and it’s terribly unfortunate that the incident negatively impacted the experience of our customers,” the facility continued. “We do not stand for this behavior at a family-run facility, and we strive to encourage sportsmanship in parents, coaches, players, and officials. We always strive to make the experience here at the facility safe and positive for all our guests, participants, and umpires. “
Macks Creek is about 60 miles northeast of Springfield.
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