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FORT MILL, S.C. Dad told me to do it.
That's the explanation a 14-year-old boy gave police after he ran onto the field Saturday during a Charlotte Knights baseball game — and led park employees on a chase across the diamond.
According to authorities, the teen jumped from above the home dugout, took off his shirt and sprinted across the infield to the center field wall, where he jumped up and touched the "400" foot marker, according to witnesses and reports filed by authorities.
At that point, an usher, two Knights front office employees and a York County sheriff's deputy caught up with the boy and led him away through the right-field groundskeepers' gate.
The drama played out Saturday night before a near-capacity crowd of 9,645 who had been watching the Knights bat against the Gwinnett Braves in the bottom of the eighth inning. A beach bag giveaway and post-game fireworks drew a bigger crowd than usual.
Once off the field, the boy told a deputy that his father, Jeffrey Richards of Troutman, N.C., had dared him to go through with the feat, and that the father had even said his son would be a "man" if he did, an incident report states. It was the family's first time at a Knights game.
The sheriff's office arrested father and son and drove them to the Moss Justice Detention Center in York. The 35-year-old father — charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor — was released on bond the next day.
But the boy remains jailed on a trespassing charge. He was being held until Tuesday morning, when the next session of Family Court convenes, a jail official said. Juveniles can be held for up to 48 hours, not counting weekends, until they must appear before a judge.
The Herald generally does not identify minors accused of crimes.
Jail supervisor Ralph Misle said Monday afternoon the boy is being kept in an individual holding area in the juvenile section.
Straight to center field
The sight of a shirtless teenager darting across the field stunned players and onlookers, including Knights staffers watching from the press box, said team spokesman John Agresti, who witnessed the scene.
"By the time the usher and our people and the deputy got out there, he was past second base into the outfield," Agresti said.
As the boy barreled toward him, Braves center fielder Reid Gorecki took a step or two to get out of the way, clearing a path for the teen to keep going.
"We're standing up there in the press box going, 'Is he going to hop over the wall?'" Agresti said.
The chase came to an end after the boy slapped the "400" marker that denotes the distance from home plate. Park employees escorted him out, and play resumed after a delay of less than two minutes, Agresti said. The Braves won the game, 5-4.
But the incident is far from being resolved.
Dad regrets making jokes
Reached by phone Monday afternoon, the boy's father acknowledged joking with his son about what it would be like to run onto the field. The family was sitting behind home plate, about 10 rows up.
"I said, 'Boy, if you do, you'd be the man,'" Richards said. "It wasn't like we went to the rail and helped him over or anything."
The family had driven in from Troutman, N.C., where Richards installs church steeples and trims trees for a living. Richards said he drank three or four beers over the course of the evening, but had arranged for a relative to drive everyone home after the game.
He didn't make it past the eighth inning. That's when Richards said he reached down to grab a handful of popcorn and looked up to see his son darting onto the field.
The 14-year-old plays for his school football team — on the offensive line, the father said.
"I think he thought it was going to be funny," Richards said. "He's more of a prankster than a troublemaker. It's nothing mean or spiteful."
But team officials said they take such incidents seriously because of the dangers to fans and players. Fortunately, the pitcher had stepped off the mound and saw what was happening, Agresti said.
"You hate it because there were 9,000 people there," he said. "You can't necessarily slap him on the wrist and let him go back. The sheriff's office had to do what they had to do."
Youngsters yearning for a chance to take the field have a chance to do so legally. The Knights invite kids to run the bases before every Sunday home game.
