Leg. OKs stronger penalties for referee attacks
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Legislation targeting parents who attack referees at their children’s athletic events has received final legislative passage in Louisiana’s Senate.
The misdemeanor crime of battery of a school or recreation contest official currently carries a fine of up to $500 and a prison sentence of up to six months.
The measure by Rep. Cameron Henry would raise the possible consequences for a conviction to a fine of at least $1,000 and up to $5,000.
It carries a minimum of five days in jail. If the referee receives a “serious bodily injury,” the prison sentence would be at least 10 days.
Conviction also would require anger management classes or some other type of court-ordered counseling.
Monday’s vote in the Senate adopted a final version of the bill from a House-Senate compromise panel. 6/2/2014 10:45:43 AM (GMT -5:00)
