‘I’ll gut you right here’: Man charged with threatening Little League umpire with knife

LOGAN COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - A West Virginia man has been charged with threatening a Little League baseball umpire with a knife and telling him, “I’ll gut you right here.”

Franklin Darby was charged with brandishing a deadly weapon and assault on an athletic official following Monday’s altercation in Logan County, according to a criminal complaint.

Logan County Sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Booth wrote in the magistrate court complaint that Darby, 62, of Whitman, was heckling the umpire during the game when the umpire removed his equipment and left the field. Darby followed the umpire while screaming and cursing at him.

Darby then pulled out the knife but fled the scene before police arrived, the complaint said.

“Been working ballgames and I’ve been at the sheriff’s office for about 16 years, Booth said. “It’s been one of the worst years on record.”

Booth said this is an extreme example but abuse toward umpires and coaches happens more than most think.

Logan High School Baseball Coach Kevin Gertz said he see’s abuse across all sports and levels.

“People are on umpires all the time,” he said. “People are on coaches. I get it all the time. People are on kids all the time.”

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