Four women charged in brawl at kids’ b-ball game

Reports: Demeaning and racial comments among spectators escalated to physical fight on court

punches Four women following accused a girls of basketball throwing game Wednesday night between teams from Acequia Madre and Turquoise Trail Charter elementary schools are now facing charges of public affray. Santa Fe County sheriff ’s deputies who responded to reports that an adult brawl had erupted during a youth league tournament at Santo Niño Regional Catholic School say in their reports the incident was instigated by racial comments and demeaning descriptions of some of the young players on the court.

The spectators’ dispute in the stands — which threatened to disqualify both teams from further competition in the Santa Fe Independent Youth Basketball Program tournament — quickly escalated into a physical fight in the moments after Acequia Madre defeated Turquoise Trail in the semifinals, reports say, and spilled out onto the court.

Sheriff ’s office spokesman Juan Ríos said the agency initially considered whether the incident should be handled as a hate crime, but after consulting with the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, charged the four women with petty misdemeanor counts. Those charged are Marie Vigil, 60, and her daughter Georgette O’Leary, 37, who are considered by the sheriff ’s office as the “primary aggressors” in the case, and Norma Leticia Torres-Campos, 31, and Adriana Isela Cardenas, 29.

Torres-Campos and Cardenas are believed to be relatives of players on the Turquoise Trail team. Less clear are Vigil and O’Leary’s connections with either team. While Acequia Madre coach Pat Archuleta told The New Mexican

on Wednesday night the fight involved the mother and grandmother of one of his players, deputies’ reports only say that Vigil is a bus driver for Turquoise Trail.

Meanwhile, the girls basketball teams learned Thursday they would be allowed to participate in the tournament’s final games.

Acequia Madre Principal Kathy Casaus said her school’s team will play in the championship game Sunday in Perez-Shelley Gymnasium at St. Michael’s High School.

Turquoise Trail Principal Ray Griffin said his team will participate in the tournament’s third-place game.

Deputies arrived too late to witness Wednesday’s altercation firsthand, reports say, but they spoke with a number of witnesses who said Vigil and O’Leary had instigated the fight.

Charging documents in the case say O’Leary is accused of calling women from the Turquoise Trail team “[expletive] Mexicans” and that O’Leary and Vigil were overheard saying, “you can’t put Mexicans and Americans together.”

Vigil — who had a scrape on her chin that was still bleeding when she spoke with deputies, a report says, and “two different colors of hair on her jacket” — said she and her daughter had become