Published: October 08, 2008 09:47 am      

Man charged with assaulting referee

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

A Pineville man spent the night in the Whitley County Detention Center after allegedly knocking a referee off his feet during a Corbin Middle School football game Monday night.

John Green, 36, was arrested and charged with third-degree assault on a sports official during the Monday night game between Corbin Middle School and Bell County — which was not finished due to the incident.

Corbin Police Officer Rusty Hedrick said Green told him he was not a full-time coach, but rather a volunteer parent-coach who was assisting Bell County.

According to Williamsburg Police Department Public Affairs Officer Shawn Jackson, who was the volunteer PA announcer during the game, a series of unsportsmanlike flags thrown by the referee angered Green. The flags were a result of actions by players on the Bell County sidelines.

Jackson, who was off-duty at the time, was one of the people who detained Green until the Corbin Police arrived.

“It could have gotten really ugly, but the Corbin Middle School coaches and staff did a great job of mediating the whole thing, and keeping the crowd calm,” Jackson said.

Green was taken to the Whitley County Detention Center, and remained there until he was bonded out Tuesday morning.

Sean Bailey can be reached at sbailey@thetimestribune.com