Posted by CaliNotary on 7/15/05 7:45pm
Msg #52574
OT - Scum of the Earth has a name - Mark Downs
Saw this on yahoo news. Completely off topic, but I, normally pretty shockproof, am shocked by it.
Coach Allegedly Paid Player to Hit Boy
By ALLISON SCHLESINGER, Associated Press Writer
PITTSBURGH - A T-ball coach allegedly paid one of his players $25 to hurt an 8-year-old mentally disabled teammate so he wouldn't have to put the boy in the game, police said Friday.
Mark R. Downs Jr., 27, of Dunbar, is accused of offering one of his players the money to hit the boy in the head with a baseball, police said. Witnesses told police Downs didn't want the boy to play in the game because of his disability.
Police said the boy was hit in the head and in the groin with a baseball just before a game, and didn't play, police said.
"The coach was very competitive," state police Trooper Thomas B. Broadwater said. "He wanted to win."
Downs has an unpublished telephone number and couldn't immediately be reached for comment Friday. It was unclear whether he had an attorney.
He was arrested and arraigned Friday on charges including criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault and corruption of minors. He was released from jail on an unsecured bond.
The alleged assault happened June 27 in North Union Township, about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, authorities said.
The boy's mother asked state police to investigate her son's injuries because she suspected Downs wanted to keep the boy off the field, despite a league rule that required each player to participate in three innings a game, Broadwater said.
Eric Forsythe, the president of the R.W. Clark Youth Baseball League, said Downs had two daughters on the T-ball team.
League organizers investigated accusations against Downs before the T-ball season ended earlier this month but could not prove that he did anything wrong. If Downs is convicted of any crime, he won't be allowed to be a coach next year, Forsythe said. The league is not affiliated with Little League International.
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Reply by MB/CA on 7/15/05 10:43pm
Msg #52609
Some people have diabilities which are visible to the naked eye, the person in the wheel chair, the child with downs sydrome, but there are others who are far sicker and so dangerous because they look "Normal" and this man is in that category. He has a sickness of the soul! If you could get into his mind you'd probably feel you needed a shower when you got out!
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Reply by tulsa_prlgl on 7/16/05 2:10pm
Msg #52677
my DH is a coach/pitcher for son's baseball team and he was livid when he read about this. Even in our league we know who the "bad" coaches are-and stay far away from them! I applaud the mom of the boy for requesting an investigation, I hope a civil lawsuit is not far behind. That poor boy was just trying to be a normal boy and play baseball-unfortunately he learned a horrible lesson about humanity and compassion, or lack thereof, from someone who could have inspired him.
sorry about the rant, but we have someone mentally disabled on our team and he has the best sportsmanship and spirit on our whole team!
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