Ohio man attacks umpire after dispute at adult softball game: video
April 25, 2023
The incident happened last Tuesday at Berliner Park in Columbus, Ohio.
An Ohio man has been charged with assault after he was caught on video socking an umpire in the face at an adult-league softball game last week, officials announced.
Before the start of a game at Columbus’ Berliner Park Tuesday night, player Gregory Roudabush got into a verbal dispute with umpire Wiley Butler, footage obtained by WCMH shows.
Roudabush, wearing a bright yellow jersey, approaches the Butler — who is already standing behind the plate for the game — and punches the umpire hard in the face, video shows.
He then slams Butler to the ground on top of home plate before other players rush over and pull him off.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein announced on Tuesday that Roudabush was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor assault and a fourth-degree disorderly conduct following an investigation by the city’s Recreation and Parks department.
He’s also banned from participating in future leagues.
The umpire said Roudabush punched him after he threw him out of the game before it even started for being verbally abusive.
Roudabush is facing charges in connection to the incident, city officials announced Tuesday.
Butler told WCMH that he had asked Roudabush to move over a bit, and gave him an explanation as to why. When Roudabush became verbally abusive, Butler ejected him from the game — which is when the punch was thrown.
“I was stunned more than anything,” Butler said. “I think I kind of went into shock, in a sense, because I could not believe I got punched on the softball field. I really just couldn’t believe it.”
A parks department spokesperson told the outlet that “no matter what the disagreement was, we do not expect our staff officials and players to resort to this type of violence.”
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