RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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A 13-year-old boy in Arizona is fighting an assault charge over a gym class dodgeball game ... after authorities say he targeted and brutalized his ex-girlfriend with dodgeballs ... peppering her so badly that she needed a hospital trip.
The case centers on 13-year-old Abel Schipper, who is charged with misdemeanor assault over a December 2025 dodgeball game at Mayer High School in Yavapai County.
Abel admits he and two friends threw foam dodgeballs at the girl when she walked out of the bathroom for warm-ups ... saying he hit her, one friend missed, and another connected ... according to AZFamily.
He also acknowledges targeting the girl "a little bit" ... but insists there was nothing malicious behind it ... saying that's simply how dodgeball works -- you pick someone and try to get them out. He said he didn't think the dodgeball would hurt because they are "small ones" and "you can squeeze them" and "they compress."
The alleged victim is Abel's ex-girlfriend ... though he says the two weren't on particularly good or bad terms after their split.
Authorities got involved two days after the dodgeball game, when a social worker contacted the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office and reported three boys had "relentlessly assaulted" the girl with dodgeballs after she came out of a bathroom.
The girl was hospitalized ... and photos taken by her mother showed two softball-sized blue and purple bruises on her rib cage and abdomen.
Abel's mom told the outlet the criminal charge goes way too far ... saying the school never disciplined her son and she didn't learn a deputy had interviewed him until months later, when she received a letter saying he'd been charged.
The mother also claims her son's ex continued texting her afterward asking for rides home ... and says while she'd understand school discipline, she doesn't believe the dodgeball incident belongs in criminal court.
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