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Carried away with the NCAA

By Jeff Terrill

Fort Wayne Reader

2018-03-16

Mike gets to the bar three hours before his team plays. NCAA Tournament time is his favorite. Spring is near and his hopes of a national championship for his school are in the air. Mike’s passion for his alma mater’s basketball team has never been stronger. This is the year.

When he gets together with friends to watch his team play in the tournament -- watch out. Mike drinks a couple of beers, eats and then drinks another beer. The game finally starts. Half of the bar seems to be cheering along with Mike. The other half roots against his team. Mike orders another pitcher. And another.

Mike and his friends are now in rare form. High fives and chest bumps turn to screams and taunts. Mike is getting obnoxious and he knows it. He loves it. His team is winning. It all feels so good.

Mike’s team wins by double digits. Mike plans to Uber home but his friends convince him to stick around and keep watching basketball. No arm-twisting needed. The celebration continues and so too does the drinking. Mike accepts a challenge from a buddy and takes a banner off the wall and stuffs it into his coat.

Parts that follow get a little blurry. Mike and his friends get into an argument with some other patrons. Tempers flare. There’s some pushing. They go outside. Someone throws a beer at Mike. Mike hurls a chair from the patio area back at the other group. The chair misses the group but hits the hood of a small Honda.

A manager tells the guys to leave. Mike ignores him and tries to get back into the bar. Two police cars arrive a few minutes later. Mike tells the officers that he can’t help it that his team is so good. The officers instruct Mike to quiet down. Mike keeps yelling about his team.

The officers take photos of the dented Honda hood. Mike denies throwing the chair. Mike won’t shut up. The officers have had enough.

Mike is arrested and placed in the back of a squad car. An officer informs Mike that he’s being charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, trespass and theft. (The manager finds the banner in Mike’s jacket.)

Mike finally starts to calm down on the ride to jail. He’ll need to sleep this one off. Mike asks the officers if he’ll be out by 5 p.m. on Sunday. That’s when his team plays next.

This is the year.

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Jeff Terrill is a partner/shareholder with the law firm of Arnold Terrill Anzini, P.C. Mr. Terrill represents clients accused of crimes throughout northeast Indiana. You can contact Mr. Terrill with any questions or comments at his office at 260.420.7777 or via email at jterrill@fortwaynedefense.com. Learn more about his firm at www.fortwaynedefense.com. This article expressed opinions and observations of the author, is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the author and the reader. Please consult a qualified attorney with any legal questions or issues you might have. Thank you.