EXCLUSIVE: Providence Firefighter Charged With Assaulting Juvenile at High School Lacrosse Game

EXCLUSIVE: Providence Firefighter Charged With Assaulting Juvenile at High School Lacrosse Game

A Providence firefighter has been charged after allegedly assaulting a juvenile at a high school boys’ lacrosse game over the weekend.

The incident took place adjacent to the Division III Championship between Lincoln High School and Mt. Hope High School at Brown University on Saturday afternoon.

According to police, parents of the juvenile victim are pressing charges against Derek Campbell, a Providence firefighter and father of a Lincoln High School player, after they said he grabbed their son during a fight.

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About Incident

Providence Police were called to Lloyd Avenue shortly after 6 PM on Saturday, after dispatch advised there was “an adult male attempting to fight with juveniles on scene.”

According to police, when officers arrived, the suspect had fled the scene - but witnesses provided a description of what they said took place.

Witnesses told police that they believed the suspect, later identified as Campbell, “was drinking in the Moses Brown parking lot across the street prior to the game.”

According to witnesses, when the Mt. Hope team was walking to their bus after winning the game,  the “Lincoln team along with Campbell were upset and yelling obscenities towards the team.”

The victim told police he had yelled, “Get the f-ck out of here” toward Campbell, at which time Campbell “turned towards [his] direction grabbing him by the shirt collar and shaking him.” The victim told police that Campbell had not physically struck him.

His parents told police they wished to press charges.

Campbell is now being charged with one count of “simple assault or battery.”

 

Lacrosse Parents and Arrests

In 2019, GoLocal broke the story of the father of a La Salle Academy boys lacrosse player who was arrested days after the Rhode Island boys lacrosse championship at Cranston Stadium, for simple assault and disorderly conduct. 

Scott Young, 51, of Douglas, Massachusetts, was arrested on June 7, 2019, by Cranston police after an investigation into the incident at the game on Sunday, June 2. 
 

About the Incident -- and Arrest

According to sources at the game, Young approached the coaching staff of Moses Brown team following the game and slapped one of the coaches, after La Salle won 7-6. 

Young was then escorted off the field. 

Cranston Detective Robert Tortorella wrote the following in his report. 

On 6-7-19 I spoke with suspect Scott Young regarding this ongoing investigation where he was alleged to have assaulted [redacted] at the conclusion of a lacrosse game at Cranston Stadium. 

Young agreed to present himself at CPDHQ on this date where he was printed and processed w/o incident. He was released by JP Lazieh upon conclusion of his arraignment on RIGL Simple Assault 11-5-3, and Disorderly Conduct 11-45-1. 

Young was released on $1000 bail for the two misdemeanors. 

This article was first published 6/10/19 12:05 PM

 

Banned for Life

Days later, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League banned Young for life from attending any league games in Rhode Island after his arrest. 

Tom Mezzanotte, the then-Executive Director of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, told GoLocal that it was the first time the league had ever handed down such a punishment.

“He is banned from all future RI Interscholastic games,” said Mezzanotte in 2019.

“It is unbelievable what goes on at games at the youth level to high school. It is a societal issue,” he said. "Do we have to ban parents from games?”

“Parents should enjoy attending and participating. Sports are a great learning experience, but there simply is no room for this type of horrific behavior,” added Mezzanotte.