Former Iowa Cub Mel Hall busted
Sad story involving former I Cubber Mel Hall.
Today, Hall was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old back in the late 90s. He was guilty on 3 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child and 2 counts of indecency with a child. Hall faces from probation to life in prison. Turns out he is also charged with molesting a 14-year-old at the same time.
Hall, who retired from playing professional baseball in 1996, was a basketball coach for a select team when he became close with the 12-year-old girl’s family. When he needed a place to stay in 1998, the girl’s parents let him stay in their home for a couple of months.
Hall’s accuser, now 23, took the stand Monday, describing what she believed at the time was a boyfriendlike relationship with her coach. It began with Hall exposing himself to her and her younger brother, she said.
“I trusted him. I honestly had no idea anything was inappropriate at the time,” the woman testified. “I looked up to him. I just thought this is how normal people act.”
But when the parents were away, Hall had, on occasion, stripped naked from the waist down, lain on his back and kicked his legs in the air in front of them, the girl and her younger brother testified. “We thought it was funny. I would duplicate what Mr. Hall did,” The brother said he said he considered Hall’s actions “like a game” and never brought them to his parents’ attention.
There is more to the testimony, you can read it at Star-Telegram.com.
What a horrible story. I remember going to see Hall play with Pat Tabler, Ty Waller and little Scottie Fletcher back in the early 80s at Sec Taylor. Hall hit .329 for the I Cubs in 1982 and went up to the Cubs in 1983.
It is sad to see people fall, but I am not going to spend to much time thinking about Mel. You mess with kids and you should be spending the rest of your life in a 10×10 cell.
[SIDE NOTE - The picture is from Larry Woolis web site. If you've been to an I Cubs game you've seen Larry. He has been the I Cubs photographer for over 25-years. Take a look at all of Larry's old Iowa Cubs photos.]
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