Coach Pleads Guilty to Lesser Charge in Assaulted Little League Umpire Case

A New Jersey man accused of second degree felony assault plead guilty recently to a lesser charge of aggravated assault. H.M., 46, was coaching a little league game in June 2011 when the incident occurred. The game was apparently continuing on late into the day and H.M. reportedly asked the umpire to call the game due to darkness. The umpire let the game continue and the two argued. H.M. allegedly confronted the umpire after the game and assaulted him. Reports state that H.M. began to fight with the umpire and then called over a group of youths—as many as 16 others—who then joined in the fight.

The umpire was seriously injured and suffered a skull fracture, concussion and had two of his teeth knocked out. The injuries resulted in some hearing loss for the 51-year-old umpire. H.M. denied having called the youths over and said he did not know the group. They were not involved in the little league game that had taken place. The coach maintained throughout his recent trial that he had tried to get the group off of the umpire and that he had not caused the severe injuries.

The jury started deliberations on the case which could have resulted in up to 10 years in prison if H.M. was found guilty of the charges against him. He and his attorney decided to plead guilty to aggravated assault on the presumption of no prison time. He stated that he changed his plea because the father of seven said he couldn't take the risk of being sent to prison. He felt jurors "weren't going to separate what those guys did from me", referring to the group of youths that beat the umpire. H.M.'s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August.

Charged with assault in New Jersey?

Facing charges for assault can be a daunting prospect. Assault may be charged as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the circumstances and extent of injuries that the suspect allegedly caused. These crimes are severely punished so you need a defender you can trust to do everything possible to get the charges reduced or dismissed altogether. Contact my firm, The Law Offices of Christopher G. Porreca, P.C. now to discuss your case in a free initial consultation!