Monee ’embarrassed’ by baseball game fracas involving mayor, says trustee – Chicago Tribune
It was business as usual during the Monee Village Board meeting Wednesday night with Mayor Jay Farquhar presiding.
No one commented about an incident involving Farquhar and an umpire at a baseball game between 7 and 8 year olds Saturday in which, according to the ump, his jaw was broken by a punch thrown by Farquhar, a coach for one of the teams.
But after the 30-minute board meeting — the first since the game — one village trustee said the incident has “embarrassed” the south suburban village of about 5,000. Another said trustees have been flooded with phone calls from complaining residents.
Farquhar refused to comment Wednesday, aside from saying it would not impact his ability to be mayor. When asked if he felt his behavior at the game was appropriate, he shrugged and answered, “No comment.”
The Will County sheriff’s office has been investigating the incident and will turn its findings over to the state’s attorney’s office for review, according to Deputy Chief Rick Ackerson of the sheriff’s office.
Most Monee trustees said they were reserving comment until after the investigation.
But Trustee Jim Popp called the matter “a slap on the whole village.”
“The village had been embarrassed,” Popp said. “I feel to a point it could have some long-standing effect on anything we do.”
As a former coach and umpire himself for 15 years, Popp said people always argued with the umpire.
“I never had a problem (as umpire),” Popp said. “It never came to something like what happened.”
Monee Trustee Bill Gray said the incident has impacted the entire village, especially the baseball organization. He said trustees have been flooded with phone calls since it occurred.
“It’s going to negatively impact the mayor for sure,” Gray said.
The incident took place when a team from the Monee Baseball and Softball organization was hosting a team from Park Forest.
As part of his coaching duties, Farquhar, 50, was standing near umpire Tim Nelson, catching and retrieving pitched balls the batters missed.
Nelson, 56, admits that during the game he knowingly called a foul tip when a batter swung and missed on what would have been strike three so as to give the batter an extra pitch to try to hit.
Nelson said that Farquhar called him a drunk and turned his back on him. In a statement made to police, Farquhar said he was being “sarcastic.”
Nelson said he reached for Farquhar’s arm to turn him around and confront him face to face. It was then, according to Nelson, that Farquhar threw a punch. Nelson underwent surgery Tuesday and his jaw is wired, he said Thursday.
Farquhar, in his statement, called Nelson’s gesture a push that necessitated he defend himself “by throwing up my right arm, which made a single contact to his left cheek with my right hand,” according to his statement.
The vice president of the Monee Baseball and Softball organization said Farquhar told organization officials he did punch the ump. The organization has temporarily suspended Farquhar.
Monee Police Chief John Cipkar said officers documented a statement made by the umpire, Tim Nelson. Nelson believed the police refused to take his statement because it involved the mayor.
“His report was taken,” the police chief said. “It was filed that night (Saturday) and it was sent to the (Will County) Sheriff Department on Monday — standard practice.
“There is another competent agency that’s doing the investigation and I can’t comment on something I’m not a part of,” the chief said.
Nelson was described as “agitated and uncooperative” when dealing with police on Saturday, a village official said Monday.
Nelson said Thursday the incident has left him “very despressed.” He said his demeanor has changed and he is waking up “in a panic.”
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.
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