With a record of 21-40 and sitting third-to-last in the American League, the Kansas City Royals could use a fire lit underneath them. One woman attempted to provide that fire -- by lighting it in the outfield of the team's home field at Kauffman Stadium.
Bridget DePriest, 36, was arrested around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning and charged with trespassing and openly burning resulting in property damage. She was caught by a security guard, who noticed her wandering around in the outfield.
According to a report from the Kansas City Star, the woman had apparently left trash and a trash bag on the field. While investigating the scene, police discovered that she had lit three fires that left burn marks in the outfield grass. The damage was small enough that it could be repaired within a day, according to Toby Cook, Royals' vice president of publicity.
DePriest told the security guard that she gained entry to the stadium at 8 a.m. the previous day, but it's believed that actually entered sometime after dark on Monday night. It's also believed DePriest was "swimming in the fountain" beyond the outfield wall in right-center field while at the ballpark.
It's a bizarre story that honestly brings more questions than answers, but DePriest's charges are all misdemeanors and the property damage sounds pretty limited, so it seems this situation could have ended a lot worse than it did.
Maybe the Royals will take notes from their field and learn how to catch fire soon.
