ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WKYT) – A Lexington man is facing an assault charge after parents say he shoved their child during a soccer game.

Robert McKinnis says his 13-year-old son Joseph has been playing soccer since he was just 4 years old.

“It’s the only sport he’s played. It’s the only sport he wants to play. Totally in love with the game,” said McKinnis.

Joseph, who goes by JK, has spent countless hours on the field, many of those moments captured by Robert’s camera.

“I’ve got thousands of pictures of him,” said McKinnis.

Sunday’s game in Elizabethtown was like any other. Robert had his camera out, taking photos of JK on the field, as his team faced a visiting team, Tiburones F.C., from Lexington.

However, it was a moment captured by another parent’s camera that made the game different.

Robert says a coach from the opposing team shoved JK to the ground.

“I hear a bunch of yelling and then I realize that that’s my kid,” said McKinnis. “He’s sitting on the ground. He’s crying, and he’s holding the back of his neck. I go up to him and I said, ‘Did he hit you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, Dad.’”

Robert and others who were at the game have identified the man in the video as Tim Jenkins, the head coach of the opposing team.

An article on Lexington Sporting Club’s website from 2022 announced Jenkins’ hiring as one of their youth phase directors.

WKYT reached out to Lexington SC to ask about Jenkins. They said Jenkins no longer works there, but they did not have any information about his departure.

“I started screaming, ‘Don’t let him, don’t let him leave, because I’m calling the cops,’” said McKinnis.

Elizabethtown Police tell WKYT Tim Jenkins was charged with fourth-degree assault at the game, after he was accused of assaulting a child at the soccer complex.

Jenkins was cited, but not arrested.

“I hope that it just never happens to any other kid,” said McKinnis.

WKYT has attempted to reach out to Tim Jenkins for comment on this story. As of its publishing, we have not heard back.

Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.

The WPKY Princeton Optimist Kiwanis Radio Auction finished strong Friday night, with late bidding pushing this year’s total near last year’s mark despite a sluggish start.

The auction began slowly on Monday, raising under $1,000, but momentum grew each night, with Thursday marking the first time bids surpassed $2,000.

The strong pace continued through to Friday’s final night, and Optimist Club member George Kilgore said he was pleased as the week-long auction finished with over $27,000 raised—about $1,600 shy of last year’s total.

click to download audioKilgore said he’s glad the auction is over, and looks forward to the money going back into the community.

click to download audioEdge Media Group President and CEO Beth Mann thanked everyone who took part in the auction.

click to download audioShe also encouraged anyone interested in joining the Princeton Optimist Club to speak with a member, and said they will tell you what “a great blessing it is to serve the community and to give more than you take.”

The five-night auction took place at the First Baptist Church Christian Life Center in downtown Princeton. Each year, WPKY partners with the Princeton Optimist and Kiwanis Clubs to host the radio auction, raising funds to support youth in Caldwell and Lyon counties.

Like a lot of parents, Miss Ohio and I are deep into youth sports.

Did not see this coming, if I’m being honest.

In fact, if you’d have asked me a few years ago if we’d ever find ourselves plopped in camp chairs next to a softball diamond in various spots around the Upper Midwest for hours on end riding the emotional roller coaster of elation tied to the success of a 14-year-old young woman… well, that’s just not a reality that could have been imagined.

We were a bike racing family.

And yet, here we are, deep into softball.

Tournaments, practice, extra hitting, whacking fly balls and grounders, strength and agility.

Plus catching a few games at the South Dakota high school tournament in Sioux Falls this weekend.

And watching the Women’s College World Series on TV.

Plus, replays of college games all winter.

All in on softball.

It’s truly been the experience of a lifetime and we wouldn’t change a minute of it.

Except…

You probably know where this is going. That’s right, it’s the adults.

We also have the unique perspective in that the young lady with whom I share a residence – and serve as general transportation manager – is also an umpire.

We don’t watch her ump that often – it’s her job – but I’ve been in the stands enough times to get highly irritated, if not angry, at what I hear from the people sitting around me.

Shut.

The hell.

Up.

Look, I’ve been there, suffering through balls called strikes and strikes called balls.

I’ve seen the obvious out called safe.

I’ve been the frustrated coach and the tortured parent.

It’s hard. You want to scream like you do at home in front of the TV.

Go ahead and roll your eyes, exhale aggressively or hum a happy a happy tune.

Just suppress the urge to speak.

I don’t think there’s anything worse than hearing an adult in the stands berate a teenager for balls and strikes calls. Or even recently at the state tournament, ongoing commentary about the adult umps.

The young women deserve better from you.

For generations, girls’ sports were treated as the other, the lesser. We know that wasn’t ideal and as a society have made incredible progress toward remedying that inequity.

Guess what? It’s good. It’s fun. It’s exciting.

The Women’s College World Series was great. The atmosphere looks amazing and we’re already planning a trip to Oklahoma City to watch the Olympic softball competition in 2028.

Viewership for the World Series was up by 25 percent – about a million a day – according to ESPN.

Bringing it back to Sioux Falls, our daughter is a good umpire. Trust me, she knows the rules, probably better than you do. She’s got a good eye.

She’s not perfect and she’ll admit that. Nobody is.

So again…

Shut.

The hell.

Up.

Here’s a suggestion. Instead of chattering away about the strike zone, how about you strap on the chest protector, put on the mask, and trot your dad bod out there for a few innings.

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

The thing is, you’re not helping your team or the coaches with your “expertise.”

It’s certainly not good for your kid.

And it’s terrible for the game.

None of this is particularly new to youth sports. It was the same thing on the Bantam Baseball diamonds at Covell Lake back in the 1970s, though nobody had delusions of scholarships or superstardom.

If you’re this invested in a 10U softball game on a Tuesday night, it might be time for some serious self-examination.

In the meantime… you know.

One of the ways local high school sports programs give back to the Robeson County community is through the youth sports camps that many of them hold in the summertime.

With school now out for the summer, many of these camps are fast approaching.

Here is a look at the various camp offerings around Robeson County.

Lumberton

Lumberton will hold both a baseball and softball camp this month.

The Pirate Baseball School will be held June 16-17, for ages 6-10, and June 18-19, for ages 11 and up, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day at Finley Read Field.

The Pirate Softball School will be held June 23-24, for ages 7-11, and June 25-26, for ages 12 and up, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day at the LHS Softball Field.

Both camps are designed to teach advanced skills and strategies of baseball, through instruction, drills and competition, camp flyers say. They are directed by the coaching staff, players and alumni from LHS; softball instructors include former Pirates and current college players Halona Sampson, Alona Hanna, Tiara Stueck and Aniya Merritt and former college players Morgan Britt and LeeAnn Nobles.

Registration for both camps is $60.

For more information on the baseball camp, contact Jeff McLamb at 910-740-9745, or for the softball camp contact Will Britt at 910-740-9117.

Purnell Swett

The first Rams Softball Camp will be held at Purnell Swett on June 30 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The camp will cover fundamentals, offense and defense, pitching and catching. Get ready to swing, slide and learn. There will be exciting prizes and trophies.

For more information, contact Coach Amy Lancaster at 910-827-2699.

St. Pauls

St. Pauls will hold a free basketball camp for rising seventh- through 12th-graders from June 16-20, led by Bulldogs head coach Ted Gaskins. The camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day.

For more information, call 910-865-4177.

The Empower Middle School Volleyball Camp will be held July 24-25 at St. Pauls High School. The camp is open to students who will in grades six through eight in the fall; fifth-graders may attend if there is space.

Space is limited to the first 20 players; you may sign up for individual days, or for both days at a discounted rate. Each daily session is $15 if registered and paid by June 20, $20 before July 4 or $25 after July 4. Both session s are $25 before June 20, $25 before July 4 and $45 after July 4.

The July 24 session will cover fundamentals of volleyball and serving; July 25 will cover setting, hitting and blocking.

Red Springs

The Red Springs Men’s and Women’s Golf Camp will be held from June 24-26 at Scothurst Golf Club, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day.

For more information contact Adam Deese at 910-843-4211.