A Navy chief who allegedly charged into a youth soccer game as his teenage son jostled with his opponent is being charged with assault and battery, the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office told Navy Times.
Chief Engineman Jordan Lee Grinnell, 38, was arrested by Virginia Beach Police last month after he reportedly knocked a 14-year-old boy to the ground and began punching him in the face.
The youngster was hospitalized with a concussion and required four stitches, the report said.
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Grinnell, a 17-year Navy veteran and Colorado native, was given bond by the magistrate, the Commonwealth spokesperson said. He is slated to go to trial on Oct. 4.
Multiple attempts by Navy Times to contact Grinnell’s command, Navy Recruiting District Richmond, went unanswered.
“I still can’t get it out of my mind,” Jennifer Moss, the mother of another player who witnessed the beating, told the Virginian-Pilot. “I didn’t sleep for two days and I’m still having trouble sleeping. The kids who witnessed it are all shaken.
“I’m thinking he’s coming over to break the boys up,” Moss said, only to see “him strike him at least twice.”
Grinnell has no prior criminal record, the Pilot reported, and his Navy records show that he’s the recipient of five Good Conduct Medals.
J.D. Simkins is the executive editor of Military Times and Defense News, and a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War.
