BRAWL Baseball coach found guilty of assault in death

The jury heard different versions of what happened at the fight.
AKRON (AP) -- A jury has decided that a youth baseball coach was guilty of assault, not manslaughter, when a fight last summer between the coach and a concessions worker ended in the worker's death.
Richard Haught, 45, of Cuyahoga Falls, faced up to five years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. Instead the jury on Friday found him guilty of assault.
Haught punched 40-year-old Robert Abrams of Uniontown in the face during a brawl that broke out July 1, 2005 in the parking lot at an Akron area baseball tournament.
The fight started after some parents demanded their $5 parking fee be returned because the team had already paid a $65 dollar gate fee that included parking.
Police said Haught's blow knocked Abrams to the ground where he struck his head. He died the next morning.
Haught was charged with involuntary manslaughter after the medical examiner ruled Abrams died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The trial
During the trial, the jury heard different versions of what happened at the fight.
Witnesses said they saw Haught punch Abrams in the head, causing him to fall. Haught testified that he may have pushed Abrams when he ran into the crowd during the fight, but that he never intentionally struck him.
A Summit County medical examiner testified that Abrams died after striking his head on the ground. The defense later called a doctor they hired to review the autopsy report who said he believed Abrams died of heart arrhythmia brought on by stress instead.
The jury deliberated for 17 hours over three days. On Friday afternoon they told Common Pleas Judge Jane Bond they could not reach a decision on one of the two charges.
Bond instructed them to keep deliberating, and 90 minutes later the jury returned with a verdict. Jurors did not comment afterward.
The families of both men were in court when the verdicts were read. Haught's wife, Jodi, clutched relatives' hands and quietly thanked god when Haught was acquitted of the more serious manslaughter charge.
Amy Abrams, the victim's wife, did not comment after the proceedings.
Haught will be back in court Monday for sentencing. He faces up to six months in prison and a maximum fine of $1,000.