A parent is in the Osceola County Jail after being accused of punching an umpire in the head during a Liberty High School baseball game, according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
In a news conference on Wednesday, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said that 41-year-old Jorge Ignacio Aponte-Gonzalez, left the bleachers in between innings during a baseball game and punched the 63-year-old umpire in the head, knocking him out. Gonzalez said he was “defending his kid” after the umpire had spoken to his child.
A video was played during the news conference that showed Aponte-Gonzalez punching the umpire in the face and a number of players and bystanders running over to the umpire in disbelief over the action of the parent.
“My understanding is that the kid was being disruptive, so the umpire said, “Hey, tone it down, maintaining control,” Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said. “It was umpire to child, I don’t know exactly what was exchanged, but that is what upset the father.”
“I explained to Aponte-Gonzalez that this isn’t the way we conduct ourselves as parents, as adults,” Sheriff Lopez said.
The Sheriff said the umpire is a disabled veteran and loves baseball, and is in good spirits, but he’s unsure of the severity of the umpire’s injuries.
“He’ll get his just reward for his nasty behavior, sometimes adults act worse than kids, the Sheriff shared during the news conference.
As the sheriff and his deputies were escorting Gonzalez to a cruiser, the man grinned. The sheriff said, “We exchanged a few words, you can see he’s smiling, not much remorse for his actions.”
