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The youth baseball coach who reported Jackie Robinson West’s residency irregularities to Little League officials — eventually resulting in the team being stripped of its national championship — is facing several criminal charges after a bizarre early morning incident in his Evergreen Park neighborhood, police said.

A contrite Christopher Janes answered the door at his home Tuesday evening. He grimaced when he ran his hand over his closely-cropped hair while standing on his front porch, wrestling with how to explain what happened.

“People have been asking, but I don’t remember. I don’t remember any of it. I feel awful, awful,” Janes said. “There’s no two sides of it. I had too much to drink. I thought I was going to my house. I don’t even know these poor people and I scared the hell out of them.”

Janes, 39, is facing charges of disorderly conduct, assault, resisting arrest, and obstructing a police officer after the incident that occurred a block from his home, Evergreen Park Capt. Pete Donovan said. Janes was also issued two municipal ordinance violations, one for public intoxication and one for using threatening and vulgar language, Donovan said.

Janes said he had gone to a bar in Evergreen Park Monday night to watch the Blackhawks game with friends.

He said he left the bar after midnight, long after the hockey game ended around 10 p.m., and began walking home. His stroll took him not to Albany Avenue where he lives, but a block east to Utica Avenue.

Janes lives in a Georgian style home, on a street where many of the houses look similar.

Plain and simple, Janes said, he thought he had been locked out of his own home and was trying to get in.

“I thought I was going home. I went to the wrong house. After that, I really can’t tell you what happened. I have no idea. I read the report, too, and I feel awful. I scared some poor lady. I treated the police poorly who have been so supportive of us,” he said.

Evergreen Park police had a car stationed outside his home after the Jackie Robinson West story broke. Janes claimed he had received death threats.

Donovan said police were called at 1:09 a.m. by a woman who said she saw a man standing by a car in the street north of her when she pulled into a driveway on Utica. As she got out of her car, he ran toward her, so she ran into her house through the side door. She then heard banging on her front door, and the man was shouting loudly, swearing and demanding that she and her husband come outside, Donovan said.

The woman and her husband opened the door and did not recognize Janes, Donovan said.

“They didn’t know who he was,” Donovan said.

Janes said he’s never met the people.

“When they asked what he wanted, he said ‘Just come on out here.’ She called the police and Mr. Janes left the area. We stopped him a couple houses to the north,” Donovan said.

When police arrived, Janes was “uncooperative, wouldn’t identify who he was, seemed intoxicated. After they tried to handcuff him, he pulled away, but we did get him handcuffed,” Donovan said.

One of Janes’ arms was bleeding, Donovan said, so police called an ambulance and the wound was bandaged. Donovan does not know how Janes cut his arm. Neither does Janes.

“I’m not afraid of saying ‘I’m sorry.’ I’m afraid of scaring them again,” Janes said of the couple. “I’ve asked the police to relay a message for me and that’s not something they can do.”

He paused then said, “I’m better than this.”

Janes also said he feels bad for “putting the police in a bad spot.”

“They’ve been terrific,” Janes said.”There’s no two sides to it. I messed up.”

Janes is due in Room 206 at the Bridgeview Court House at 10:30 a.m. April 13, Donovan said.

Source: Chicago Tribune