Laurel, Mississippi Mom Allegedly Assaulted Youth Softball Umpire After Game
A woman from Laurel, Mississippi allegedly assaulted a youth softball umpire because she didn't like the way the umpire was calling the game. The umpire, Kristi Moore, recently spoke to TMZ Sports and said the incident took place on Saturday, April 9, when she was working a 12 and under softball game between MVP and Southern Select. Moore said the mother of a child on MVP, Kiara Thomas, allegedly began yelling profanities at her.
"I will slap the f— out of you b—," Thomas allegedly said. Moore told Thomas to leave the field, but she refused to and told her she'd be waiting to confront her after the game was over. And once the game came to an end, Thomas walked up to Moore and punched her in the eye, causing scratches and cuts under her eye as well a black eye. Moore didn't immediately go to the hospital but did seek medical attention the following day.
Kudos to Mississippi youth softball umpire Kristi Moore for the courage & willingness to tell her story to all of us on Unfiltered Ep 188🎙️
— Mitch Levy (@Mitch_Seattle) April 27, 2022
Pathetic & infuriating.
Listen to the entire interview here:https://t.co/azIVrKKVni pic.twitter.com/Obj0oVvChI
A staff member at the softball field wrote the license plate of the vehicle Thomas was driving after she left the field. Thomas was then apprehended by police and arrested for simple assault. Moore said the USFA softball organization has banned Thomas and the team, MVP from the league. Moore posted the photo of her black eye on Facebook one day after the incident.
A week ago softball umpire Kristi Moore went public after being punched by a parent for a call. Tonight, the @Braves + @UmpsCare made the right call by inviting Kristi to the game in Atlanta, where she had pregame “Play Ball!” honors. pic.twitter.com/CYbrEHeNPO
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) April 23, 2022
"The next time you go to a tournament and you only have one umpire on the field…this is why," Moore wrote in the Facebook post. When you have brand new umpires on the field that may not know everything they should know yet…..this is why. When you don't feel you have the quality of umpires you should….this is why. When the day comes that your kid can't play a ballgame because there are no longer officials to call it….THIS.IS.WHY."
"This is not the type of behavior that we accept," Laurel Police Chief Tommy Cox said to WDAM, per Newsweek. "If you act like this and you assault people, you will wind up in handcuffs just like Ms. Thomas did. [W]e want everybody in these tournaments to feel safe and they don't have to be out there and have their children see this or have this type of behavior." According to Mississippi Today, Thomas was bonded out and an initial court date is set for May 18.