updated 6:45 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2008

TORRINGTON, Conn. - Members of a Connecticut baseball umpires’ group are defending a decision to give a lifetime achievement award to a child sex offender.

Fifty-eight-year-old Tom Barbero received the award this month from the Torrington Board of Approved Baseball Umpires. He umpired from 1970 to 1998, including for 13- to 15-year-olds in the Babe Ruth league.

The group says it knew about Barbero’s record but honored him because he deserved recognition.

Barbero was sentenced in 2000 to four years in prison and 35 years of probation. Police accused him of sexually assaulting three teenage boys in 1994 and 1995. The boys were not involved with youth baseball.

Neither Barbero nor his lawyer returned phone messages Friday.

MORE FROM OTHER SPORTS

Other sports Section Front

The most important black athlete in existence the Grio: 100 black history-makers in the making Andrews stalker had 16 other victims, feds say 17 years later, Jones and Hopkins to fight again Roddick’s wife on cover of SI swimsuit issue   Video: SI's swimsuit issue is big business Pac-10 giving ‘serious evaluation’ to expansion Riley, Conradt on Hall of Fame Board of Governors Globetrotters play game on ice rink in New York Afghanistan hopes to defeat America - in cricket Other sports Section Front   Add Other sports headlines to your news reader: