Woman hit Spooky Nook official with tripod: East Hempfield police

• By Dan Nephin/LNP | LancasterOnline

A Cumberland County woman is facing charges after police say she hit a basketball official with a tripod at a Spooky Nook Sports event earlier this month.

Taylor Hair, 32, is charged with assault on a sports official and disorderly conduct for the May 4 incident that occurred the day before her birthday. She is free on $30,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing June 27. She did not have an attorney listed on her criminal docket Wednesday.

A police officer was dispatched to the East Hempfield Township venue around 4 p.m. for an assault. The officer spoke to Hair and the basketball official and watched security footage that showed Hair approach the official and hit him on the chest with the tripod, causing him to nearly fall, according to charging documents.

Attempts seeking comment from Hair on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

Spooky Nook was hosting the May Mayhem Classic basketball tournament May 4-5 that included nearly 500 teams made up of elementary- to high-school-age boys and girls.

A message left for Spooky Nook was not immediately returned Wednesday.

The May 4 incident is the latest one at Spooky Nook resulting in charges involving altercations with sports officials or coaches.

Jomo Errol Belfor was charged in December 2024 with assault on a sports official, harassment, and disorderly conduct after police said he head butted and punched a basketball referee over a disputed call. The referee sustained a bruised eye, swollen lip, and chipped tooth.

The 42-year-old New York man was accepted into a Lancaster County Court program where he’ll spend a year under court supervision and pay the sports official $507 in restitution to avoid a criminal conviction. He also was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and take an anger management class, and he was banned from Spooky Nook.

In April 2023, Brian Mark King was charged with harassment after police said he shoved a basketball referee during a time-out of a game involving a team coached by King. The incident was capture on video by the parent of a member of the opposing team.

King, then 31, of New York, pleaded guilty in May 2023 and paid $328 in fines and court costs.

Christopher Musiolowski was charged with assault on a sports official after police said he pushed and choked an official during a May 2021 wrestling match at Spooky Nook.

The then 40-year-old New Jersey man was accepted into a Lancaster County Court program where he was ordered to spend a year under court supervision to avoid a criminal conviction. He also was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and have no contact with the sports official.