Taunton mother pleads not guilty to assaulting 2 hockey referees after high school game
A Taunton, Massachusetts mother pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that she assaulted two referees at a hockey game in Foxboro earlier this year.
Leah Cashman was charged with assault and battery and was told to stay away from referees when she appeared in Wrentham District Court.
It happened at the Foxboro Sports Center back in January. Prosecutors said Cashman's son was given a penalty during a hockey game between Taunton High School and Mansfield High School for what he allegedly said to a referee. After the game, Cashman allegedly followed the two referees to the locker room after the game and grabbed one of their arms. A Taunton man was also allegedly ejected from the rink during the game for verbal abuse.
Cashman was also charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace.
This is the second time Taunton High School's hockey team has been part of an assault on a referee at a game. In 2015, an assistant coach of the hockey team was arrested for allegedly biting a referee's finger after a game between Taunton High School and King Philip High School.
The Massachusetts chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials Association (NIHOA) said it's been calling on the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association to do more to protect referees, like an escort to and from the locker rooms. The NIHOA said bills have also been proposed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives that would institute mandatory minimum penalties for assault or "aggravated harassment" of sports officials. However, they said the bills have been lingering at the State House for nearly 15 years.
