Parents of youth sports players must chill out
AColts Neck resident avoided the possibility of a jail term when he was allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge in connection with an assault that occurred at a youth football game last fall.

The man's fellow residents will have to decide for themselves whether the punishment he stands to receive fits his crime.

The unwanted notoriety that Mario A. Romano and his family have no doubt had to endure, along with any civil liability he may still have to face, should deter other individuals from going down the same road.

On Sept. 30, officers from the Colts Neck Police Department responded to the athletic fields of Colts Neck High School as the result of a report of an assault. Upon their arrival the police discovered Peter Vanruitenbeek, of Colts Neck, lying on the ground unconscious.

Police eventually arrested and charged Romano, of Colts Neck, with the specific crime of aggravated assault while attending a community-sponsored youth sporting event while juveniles under 16 were present. The football players were between the ages of 12 and 14.

That law, which was enacted in 2003 to dissuade hot-headed parents from becoming violent at youth sporting events, upgraded the charge from disorderly conduct to a fourth-degree offense that carries a potential penalty of 18 months in prison and $10,000 in fines.

On April 17, Romano appeared in state Superior Court, Freehold, and pleaded guilty to the disorderly persons offense of simple assault. He admitted punching Vanruitenbeek because of a disagreement involving playing time for his (Romano's) son. Vanruitenbeek was the coach of the team on which Romano's son was playing.

In exchange for Romano's guilty plea, the prosecutor's office will recommend that he receive a noncustodial term of probation, with several conditions.

Romano is scheduled to be sentenced by Superior Court Judge Ira Kreizman on May 16.

There is a lesson to be learned from this situation and it is this: if you cannot attend your child's sporting event without getting violent, do everyone, including yourself, a favor and stay home.