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

FILE PHOTO - A man is accused of threatening a Little League umpire with a knife in West...
FILE PHOTO - A man is accused of threatening a Little League umpire with a knife in West Virginia.(Pixabay)
Published: May. 25, 2023 at 3:48 PM CDT
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LOGAN, W.Va. (AP) — 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.

It wasn’t immediately known whether Darby has an attorney who could comment on the charges on his behalf.