Personal Foul

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Vangelo said trouble started right away, with a group of obnoxious men "yelling vulgarities" and disturbing his daughters. "I had beer thrown on me," he said, and "then one individual started spitting at the back of my daughter's chair and he actually spit on my 11-year-old daughter." Vangelo called park ushers, who threw the men out.

If only that was the end of Vangelo's problems that day.

That's when Clemmens came into play, Vangelo says. He was sitting with other people, not the men who were thrown out. Clemmens moved to just behind the same girl, stuck his fingers in his throat, and "leaned forward," Vangelo says. "He projectile vomited all over me and my daughter."

Not surprisingly, Vangelo, an off-duty police captain from Easton, Penn., pushed Clemmens away. Clemmens responded by punching Vangelo, drawing blood. By then, other fans who witnessed the whole thing had had enough: they subdued Clemmens and called police. "He was still vomiting on the other fans that were holding him down," Vangelo said.

Clemmens was charged with aggravated assault, harassment, and resisting arrest, and was held on $36,000 bail.

A short time later, another nearby fan caught a foul ball, and came down and gave it to the splattered girl.

Clemmens, who has been dubbed "Pukemon" by the press, did not comment to the media, but his uncle, Dave Clemmens, did. "He's not a monster! He's a kid," he said about his 21-year-old nephew. "I think he just had a couple of extra beers that might have got him a little sick, and he accidentally vomited" after moving to sit directly behind the girl.

Hey: if "a couple of beers" causes a guy to barf on children, he has two choices: never drink again or, if he can't manage that, sit in prison for life to avoid the temptation.

Source: NBC Philadelphia

May 26 Update

Matthew "Pukemon" Clemmens has had his day in court.

The prosecutor outlined the case: Clemmens, his male friend, and two female friends with them had been drinking, spilling their beer, and heckling Vangelo and his 11- and 15-year-old daughters (including using profanities -- which the judge asked the prosecution specify). After Clemmens' male friend was ejected from the park, Clemmens answered a call on his cell phone, told the caller "I need to do what I need to do. I'm going to get sick." -- then stuck his fingers down his own throat to cause the vomiting, with "most" of the barf spewing on the off-duty policeman, "covering him" with vomit. A portion also hit at least one of the girls.

Capt. Vangelo pushed Clemmens away; Clemmens responded by punching Vangelo. That's when Clemmens was "subdued" by witnesses and held for police. He apparently was punched during that process, leading to the black eye in his mug shot (above).

When asked to submit his plea, Clemmens hesitated. Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin Dougherty asked why; Clemmens said it was because of "the way that everyone said what happened that I didn't agree with." Judge Dougherty asked if the prosecution's account was accurate; Clemmens answered, "Yes, Your Honor."

So much for his uncle's "just a kid" and "accidentally vomited" excuses.

In a plea bargain, Clemmens pleaded guilty to misdemeanor simple assault, misdemeanor disorderly conduct, and harassment; in return, charges of recklessly endangering another person were dismissed.

His attorney, Richard Hark, said Clemmens "was 100 percent remorseful and will continue to be so at the time of the sentencing."

Well certainly he will! That begs the question, though: will he continue to be remorseful after the July 30 sentencing? Clemmens faces up to two years imprisonment, but probation is usually prescribed for a first offense, said Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doyle.

"He completely accepted responsibility for his behavior," Hark said. "It's probable he consumed too much alcohol."

Quite the expert opinion there, counselor.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

July 30 Update

Sentence has been handed down.

"My parents did not raise me in this manner," Clemmens told the judge before sentencing -- "pausing often," the reporter said, "to fight back tears."

Common Pleas Court Judge Kevin Dougherty said he wished to impose a sentence which "reeks with justice." Nice choice of words, your honor!

"Your apology, I believe, was feigned," the judge pronounced. "I don't know if you were trying to hit a home-run with your friends that day," he continued, "but you struck out."

Dougherty ordered Clemmens jailed for "30 to 90" days, two years of probation, and 50 hours of community service. Judge Dougherty added a lovely suggestion for that community service: maybe Clemmens should clean the toilets at the ballpark. With that, Clemmens was handcuffed and taken away to start his sentence.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

Meanwhile, Police Capt. Michael Vangelo said his daughter, Mikayla, remains traumatized. "What really bothers me about the incident is that Mikayla refuses to talk about it," he told the court at the hearing. Strangers who have heard the story have been offering tickets to games. "She does not want to go," Vangelo says.

In the sentencing, Judge Dougherty also ordered Clemmens to pay Vangelo the cost of the tickets to attend the game -- $315. But Vangelo doesn't want the dirty money: he is donating it to his town's Police Athletic League. He made no public statement after the sentencing hearing.

Source: AP

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