LHSAA officials' charges may be dropped

BATON ROUGE - The Louisiana High School Athletic Association was pleased to learn that Covington Mayor Mike Cooper and Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz announced that they requested District Attorney Walter Reed to drop the charges of public intimidation against high school officials James Radcliffe and Chris Gambino.

They were arrested Oct.11 during a football game between Mandeville and St. Paul's at Hunter Stadium in Covington.

The officials were charged with public intimidation and released from jail on Saturday morning after posting bail.

The incident was the result of spectators on the sideline crowding the chain crew. The officials attempted to move the spectators away from the field but when they requested the help of a uniformed Covington police officer, who was later found to be off-duty, had a son on the Mandeville team and even invited friends onto the field to watch the game with him, they were arrested.

LHSAA rules as well as National Federation of State High School Associations rules authorize game officials to address off-the-field spectator problems, which interfere with the orderly process of a contest. This rule is designed to provide for the safety of all involved.