Golfers charged with beating teen over ball

LONGWOOD, Fla. -- Two golfers were arrested for allegedly beating up a 14-year-old boy who took one of their balls, authorities said.

Gary Mottola, of Oviedo, said he was cutting across the Wekiva Golf Club's sixth hole when he saw a golf ball in a sand trap and took it.

Mottola and other witnesses told deputies that the ball's owner, Andrew Young, 41, of Longwood, and Richard Bailey, 44, of Lansing, Mich., kicked and punched the boy after one of the men tackled him and dragged him back to the course.

"All I did was take a ball," said Mottola, who suffered bruises and was treated at a hospital in Longwood, about 15 miles north of Orlando.

Young and Bailey were charged with misdemeanor battery, and each was released from Seminole County jail Friday after posting $500 bond.

Deputies said they will ask prosecutors to charge Mottola with trespassing and stealing the ball.