Man may be charged with assault on referee

The Kalispell City Attorney’s Office is considering an assault charge against a Missoula man accused of grabbing a referee following a recent high school boys’ basketball game.

Dave Reese, who has officiated basketball contests in the Flathead Valley for 20 years, said the man grabbed him as he was leaving the floor following Flathead High School’s 48-46 win over Missoula Hellgate on Feb. 26.

Reese said the man, a Hellgate fan, grabbed him hard enough to leave marks on his chest, prompting him to pursue an assault charge.

Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset confirmed that an investigation has been completed and the findings were forwarded to the City Attorney’s Office.

Police are suggesting a misdemeanor charge of assault on a sports official.

Nasset declined to identify the man pending official filing of the charge, but said the suspect is a Missoula-area resident who is related to one of Hellgate’s players.

Reese said it’s the first time he’s been physically assaulted in a line of work where aggressive fans frequently voice their displeasure with decisions.

“We’re thick-skinned,” Reese said. “We’re born and bred to take this stuff. But when it gets to a point where it’s not positive ...  something needs to be done.”

The incident was a low point in a season that Reese says has seen an increase in fans taking their frustrations past the point of words.

He referred to the Feb. 19 arrest of a 26-year-old Anaconda man who allegedly attacked his son’s wrestling coach after the coach interceded on behalf of a referee.

Reese said additional police presence at high school sports contests could help alleviate the problem locally.

“What we’ve seen in this basketball season has been particularly rough, not just locally but across the state,” Reese said. “We’ve had some confrontation this year that’s been above and beyond what we’ve seen before.”

Todd Fiske is the president of the Flathead Valley Officials Pool, a subsidiary of the Montana Officials Association and the Montana High School Association.

He said there hasn’t necessarily been an increase in aggressive actions by fans, though officials constantly struggle against unsportsmanlike conduct by players, coaches and fans alike.

He can’t recall another assault on an official, but said he has been on the receiving end of many insulting comments and “incredulous glares” since becoming an official more than 20 years ago.

Fiske said many officials quit within five years because of the pressure. He said the alleged assault on Reese is the type of incident that harms the recruitment of new officials.

“Something like that is just so unneeded in what we do already,” he said. “It’s a game. We can’t ever let it get bigger than that.”

Nasset said the assault charge could be filed as early as next week.

State law dictates that a person found guilty of assaulting a sports official can be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to jail for up to six months.

Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com.