Police close to arrest in assault on referee

Veteran official Patrick Weber assaulted by angry parent at 3-on-3 tourney

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - Fort Madison police are close to making an arrest as a result of an incident Saturday where an official at a local basketball tournament was knocked out by a parent.

According to Fort Madison Police Capt. Jamie Carle, police were called to the Fort Madison Middle School Saturday afternoon just after 3 p.m. where they found Patrick Weber, an official at the Fort Madison 3-on-3 basketball tournament, had been assaulted.

Carle said officers on scene reported Weber was being treated by Fort Madison firefighters and the assailant had left the building.

Carle has since taken a statement from Weber, who's also a teacher in the Keokuk school system.

Weber told police the parent became vocal at some calls made during the game and, after a warning, the suspect was eventually ejected from the facility. Between games the man then reappeared and confronted Weber who was working on the next game's bracket at the scorer's table asking how long he was ejected for, and that's when the assault occurred.

"(Weber) doesn't remember being punched but only remembers firefighters standing over him when he came to," Carle said.

"We know who it is and he was supposed to come in and talk to us, but he hasn't done that. If he doesn't show, we have a warrant for his arrest and there are charges pending against him."

Carle declined to release the suspect's name.

The event was a fundraiser organized by Fort Madison High School girls' basketball coach Tony Sargent.