National Professional Fishing League president Brad Fuller was issued a citation for simple assault and disorderly conduct following an incident with an NPFL angler on Wednesday at a restaurant in Chapin, S.C. Fuller allegedly chest-bumped Michael Yoder of Texarkana, Ark. during an apparently random meeting that included a heated verbal exchange at a diner called Bakon.
The incident occurred on the day that the final 2024 NPFL event at Lake Murray was scheduled to begin. However, that day's competition was canceled due to weather. The tournament got under way on Thursday, but Yoder was not among the participants.
The Chapin Police Department's incident report states that the confrontation occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. after Fuller and his wife Michele entered the establishment where Yoder and another angler were having breakfast. The report, based on an officer's interview with Yoder, says that Fuller "chest-bumped (Yoder) back up to a chair while telling him that he will 'f--- him up.'"
The report goes on to say that a restaurant manager instructed the Fullers to leave and, when they refused, told them they would not be served. It then states that the manager attempted to call police, "but had some issues with the phone number and told the victims to call 911, which they did."
According to an NPFL spokesperson, Fuller had no contact with Chapin police at the scene. He was later called and told to come to department headquarters to receive his citation.
“There are a lot of inaccuracies in the incident report and it’s necessarily one-sided since only one side contributed to the report," Fuller said in a statement released to BassFan. "I’m not interested in trying this case in a public forum, but I look forward to resolving it soon and to sharing my side of the story at the proper time and in the proper forum. Meanwhile, we’re focused on moving forward and growing the NPFL.”
BassFan is awaiting comment from Yoder and this story will be updated.
