In a Case of Arrested Behavior, Policeman Makes a Bad Call

OKLAHOMA CITY — A high school basketball referee almost ended up in a different kind of court when a policeman complained he was not calling enough fouls during a game and tried to arrest him.

Officer Eldridge Wyatt came on to the court to warn referee Stan Guffey and Douglass High Coach Willie Kelley about physical play after a Star-Spencer player was knocked to the floor in overtime of Star-Spencer’s 44-43 victory Tuesday night.

“We had an injury timeout and (Wyatt) walks on the floor and says, ‘Number 21 has been elbowing and Number 32 has been elbowing and you guys haven’t stopped it,’ ” Guffey said.

“I said, ‘Sir, I don’t know who you are, but you don’t have any business on the floor.’ ”

Guffey said Wyatt told him he was under arrest and pushed him off the court. Guffey was escorted out of the gym and into an office, where police met with game and conference officials.

Charley Greene, the conference commissioner and a Big Eight Conference referee, said he left the 10-minute meeting confused about the officer’s actions.

“To be honest, I don’t know what he (Wyatt) said, he said so much,” Greene said. “In my opinion, he didn’t have any legitimate justification for coming on the court like that. I was trying to explain the procedure of handling problems on the court, but I wasn’t too good at communicating with him. He wouldn’t listen.”

Oklahoma City police spokesman Lt. Mike Roach said the department had no comment on the episode except that an investigation is under way.