Published: May 22, 2008 01:13 am            

Trooper’s facing assault, battery after an alleged attack on coach

Staff and wire reports



An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper accused of assaulting an Enid coach was charged Wednesday in Garfield County District Court with one misdemeanor count of assault and battery.

John Kevin Bradshaw, 51, of Yukon, also has been placed on administrative leave from OHP pending the outcome of the case, ac-cording to Capt. Chris West, an OHP spokes-man.

Prosecutors accused Brad-shaw of assaulting a baseball coach Monday at David Allen Memorial Ball-park after the lawman’s son didn’t make the summer Prairie League baseball team.

Enid High School varsity baseball coach Scott Baugh, who oversees the Prairie League program but does not coach the teams, told police Brad-shaw argued with him Monday over his decision not to place Bradshaw’s son on the team. Then, he said, the trooper grabbed him around the neck with both hands and threw him into a hitting net, a police report states.

The report indicates no injury was observed around Baugh’s neck.

Baugh also told police he wanted Bradshaw to stay away from him and stop calling him at home.

Bradshaw refused to give police a written statement, according to the report. However, he told reporters Wednesday he was involved in a “heated exchange” with the coach but did not assault Baugh.

“My version of what happened is different than coach Baugh’s, so yes I would deny that,” Bradshaw said. “There was a heated exchange between me and coach Baugh over my son being cut from a no-cut team.”

In addition to overseeing the Prairie League program, Baugh is head coach of Enid’s AAA American Legion baseball team. Dennom Sullivan is the head coach of the Prairie League team, which is not formally affiliated with the American Legion program.

When contacted Wednes-day night, Baugh and Enid High athletic director Bill Mayberry declined further comment on the situation. Mayberry witnessed part of Monday’s dispute and told police there was an altercation between Baugh and Bradshaw.

The trooper’s ex-wife, Ilene Littlefield, of Enid, said the showdown Monday evolved from a monthlong series of events involving their son and his participation on the Enid High junior varsity baseball team. She said Baugh told her son during school Monday he was being cut from the Prairie League team.

She said parents and players were told during tryouts the Prairie League team was a “no-cut” team, and there would be blue and white teams, with approximately 11 players on each team.

“No other player that signed up for the rural Prairie League Team was cut from the team,” she said.

Two parents of players on the Enid Prairie League team had different interpretations of the no-cut policy.

Scott Pendleton, a parent of one of the players, said he was not formally told of any no-cut policy, but he did know of it.

“I was aware of a no-cut policy,” Pendleton said.

Tony Leon, father of another player, said he was not aware of such a policy.

“I always thought (the team) was competitive,” he said.

Littlefield said she has been in contact with school officials numerous times throughout the last month concerning assaults and bullying incidents involving her son and other players on the EHS junior varsity team, of which her son was a member and pitcher in numerous games. She said the trouble between Baugh and her son began in April when her son was hit in the groin by another player in the dugout. During the month of April, she said her son experienced harassment from other players that was not appropriately addressed by Enid coaches.

She had addressed her concerns with Enid school officials and said there had been no further incidents or problems until Monday. She said the incident Monday involving Bradshaw and Baugh was separate from her previous contacts with school administrators and coaches but was a result of the boy being the only player cut from the Prairie League team.

Littlefield said she is consulting with attorneys over the matter of her son being cut from the team.

Baugh and Mayberry also declined to comment on Littlefield’s allegations involving the EHS junior varsity team.

Bradshaw has been an OHP trooper since 1982 and has worked most recently in the department’s executive security division, providing protection for the governor, lieutenant governor and the governor’s family.

Bradshaw is scheduled to appear for arraignment at 9 a.m. Friday, said Garfield County Assistant District Attorney Mike Fields.



The Associated Press contributed to this story.