Father and daughter punished for fight
Pittsburgh Pirates Ban Dad, Daughter Over Fight, Severed Finger
By Andrew Lu on March 8, 2013 8:36 AM | No TrackBacks
The Pittsburgh Pirates have banned a father and his daughter from PNC Park because of their role in a fight last year.
Rachel George, 21, and her father Christopher, 50, faced several criminal charges stemming from their first visit to the park. The two were accused of starting a fight that led to a security guard losing a finger.
The two ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges including simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. They were also ordered to make restitution payments of $28,000 to the victim, reports Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV.
Last May, a Pirates security guard was escorting the Georges and another man out of the ballpark. As they were leaving, Rachel George jumped on the security guard’s back and shoved him into a fence to let her male friend escape. In the scuffle, the security guard’s middle finger was ripped off.
Rachel George refused to cooperate with police and did not name the man who was with her. But thanks to a Facebook photo from that game, police were able to identify him as Nick Miller.
It appears that Rachel George had good reason for wanting to protect Miller. He was apparently already on parole for an unrelated crime and could not afford to get into trouble again. In fact, by the time police caught up with him, Miller was already in prison for a separate parole violation.
In many criminal cases, you will read about the defendant being ordered to jail or having to serve parole. However, when a victim suffers a personal injury (like a severed finger) or otherwise suffers a financial loss, the court may also order the defendants to pay restitution, as happened with the Georges.
Generally, restitution is an amount that the defendants have to pay directly to the victim as compensation for his injuries. This is distinguished from monetary fines paid to the government. Judges can usually consider a variety of factors in setting the amount of restitution including lost wages, the extent of the injuries, and any pain and suffering.
http://blogs.findlaw.com/tarnished_twenty/2013/03/pittsburgh-pirates-ban-dad-daughter-over-fight-severed-finger.html?DCMP=NWL-cons_sportslaw