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yeah i laughed, i know im going to hell. its so bad its humourous.
UNIONTOWN, Pa. -- A youth baseball coach accused of offering an 8-year-old money to bean an autistic teammate so he couldn't play was convicted Thursday of two lesser charges against him, and evaded more serious charges.
A jury convicted 29-year-old Mark R. Downs Jr. of corruption of minors and criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, Fayette County authorities said.
Downs was acquitted of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault, and jurors said they were deadlocked on a charge of reckless endangerment. The judge declared a mistrial on the endangerment charge.
Authorities said Downs offered to pay one of his T-ball players $25 to hit a 9-year-old autistic teammate with a ball while warming up before a June 2005 playoff game.
Earlier, defense attorney Thomas Shaffer told jurors that Downs was telling the truth when he denied offering to pay Keith Reese Jr. to hurt Harry Bowers, a mildly autistic and mildly retarded boy.
But Reese had testified about Downs' offer, saying he purposely threw a ball that hit Bowers in the groin then threw another ball that hit him in the ear on Downs' instructions.
Reese's father, Keith Sr., testified that Downs acknowledged after the game that he did something "ignorant" and confessed to the deed.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
A jury convicted 29-year-old Mark R. Downs Jr. of corruption of minors and criminal solicitation to commit simple assault, Fayette County authorities said.
Downs was acquitted of criminal solicitation to commit aggravated assault, and jurors said they were deadlocked on a charge of reckless endangerment. The judge declared a mistrial on the endangerment charge.
Authorities said Downs offered to pay one of his T-ball players $25 to hit a 9-year-old autistic teammate with a ball while warming up before a June 2005 playoff game.
Earlier, defense attorney Thomas Shaffer told jurors that Downs was telling the truth when he denied offering to pay Keith Reese Jr. to hurt Harry Bowers, a mildly autistic and mildly retarded boy.
But Reese had testified about Downs' offer, saying he purposely threw a ball that hit Bowers in the groin then threw another ball that hit him in the ear on Downs' instructions.
Reese's father, Keith Sr., testified that Downs acknowledged after the game that he did something "ignorant" and confessed to the deed.
Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press
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