Louisiana referee may seek charges against woman who confronted him

A Louisiana high school basketball referee is seeking to press charges against a spectator who confronted him during a game over the weekend.

Shreveport Association referee Hunter Horton says he was angrily confronted by the mother of a player who was ejected after committing a flagrant foul.

The mother allegedly walked across the court unimpeded, slapped the ball out of Horton’s hands, and began screaming in his face before being escorted out of the gym by deputies.

A recent article from The Shreveport Times detailed the referee’s claims from his encounter with a spectator. Below is an excerpt from The Shreveport Times article.

“It could have been a lot worse, and for me, that’s the scariest part,” Horton told the USA Today Network. “What if she had had a weapon or had a different intent. She had 5 to 10 seconds of just me and her there where something could have happened. I’m blessed and lucky that nothing did happen. It was scary. And looking back to see how angry she was, I was blessed.”

Horton was interviewed by an RRSO deputy Friday morning and asked if he wanted to pursue charges under the Louisiana statute that includes verbal and non-verbal behavior by an offender that would cause “a reasonable person to be placed in fear of receiving bodily harm.” If convicted, the offender faces a fine of up to $500, 90 days in prison, 40 hours of community service and/or court-approved counseling.

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Videos show a Red River player shoving a Mansfield player in the back causing her to stumble for several feet. Horton sees the flagrant personal foul and whistles it immediately. Within seconds, Horton has reported the infraction and Bulldogs coach Kimberly Burton has already inserted a substitute. Although he’s been involved in additional player ejections during his 5-year referring career, Horton wasn’t prepared to have a parent yelling in his face. He put his hands in the air and tried to back away.

To read the full article from the Shreveport Times about the Louisiana referee, click here.