The Associated Press , February 11, 1999Teen charged with felony for hitting his coach with a basketball
BRANDON, Fla. (AP) - A 14-year-old who threw a basketball at his middle school physical education coach, causing a red spot on his leg, was arrested on a felony charge of battery on a school official.
Timothy Butterworth was arrested Wednesday and taken to a juvenile detention center after he hit the McLane Middle School coach on the back of the right leg, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Thursday.
He was later released to home detention.
Sheriff's Office School Resource Officer Kathleen Lapsley investigated the incident and determined Timothy previously threatened the coach and intentionally him with the ball, the statement said.
The charge against Timothy is a third-degree felony, according to Lt. Greg Brown, spokesman for the sheriff's office.
``It's not definite it'll go to court. That's up to the state attorney's office and the court system,'' Brown said, adding that one factor could be if the boy has a criminal record.
A women who answered the phone at the Butterworth's home said she was Timothy's mother, but refused to answer any questions about her son's arrest.
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