Girls basketball coach charged in aftermath of July fight at Indiana travel tournament
A girls basketball coach from Ohio faces battery charges for her role in a fight during a travel team tournament last month, during which a referee was "confined and assaulted."
The Shelby County Sheriff's Department announced Laquita Carter — who coaches the Cincinnati Indians Elite girls team with Difono Arnold — was taken into custody Monday for her role in the incident, which followed a Next Level Classic semifinal game between their team and Dynasty Sports Performance Heat (Owensboro, Ky.) on July 23 at Triton Central High School. The game was part of a tournament organized by Indiana US Amateur Basketball.
A video originally posted to Facebook by a DSP Heat player's father shows a referee — identified by the Shelby County Sheriff Department as Jessica Harrison — being struck in the head during an altercation and a group of people gathering around her after she falls to the ground. Another video posted to Instagram Reels and shared anonymously to a Facebook group, shows Harrison being kicked and punched while on the ground.
Harrison reported an injury and was checked by medics.
Carter faces charges of Level 4 Felony Criminal Confinement and Level 6 Felony Battery. She is currently awaiting extradition from Cincinnati.
The investigation also revealed juvenile members of a boys team stole five curved monitors from a classroom with an estimated loss of $1,700.
In a clip of the altercation posted to Facebook, Harrison is seen throwing a basketball at an individual before a girl in a Cincinnati Indians Elite jersey comes in from behind, grabs Harrison by the hair and begins punching at her as others try to pull her off.
The video pans away briefly, but when it turns back, Harrison and a woman in a red shirt are in a tussle. The two are pulled apart, just long enough for Harrison to run toward the baseline as a group of players give chase. The person filming drops the phone, and when it's picked up, Harrison is seen on the ground being kicked and dragged.
A male referee is seen at the end of the clip wrestling with an individual in a black hoodie. They both fall to the ground before the individual gets up and attacks the official. The video ends with him being wrestled into the bleachers by the referee.
Investigation into the identity of the juveniles involved in the battery and theft is ongoing, according to the release, and has "proven difficult due to lack of cooperation."
Those with any information are asked to contact detective Joseph Mohra at 317-398-6661.
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Cincinnati girls basketball coach charged in aftermath of July fight
