Boise, ID – A Boise bowling alley manager is accused of abusing bowling balls. A grand jury indicted Barney Fortnight on charges of aggravated bowling ball abuse Monday.
Jim Grater said he took his grandson to Shoot ‘Em High Bowling Lanes last August. What Grater witnessed there upset him. Grater said that Fortnight would just stare at his bowling ball in a strange way. “It just creeped us out,” said Grater. “I asked him to stop and he did. But he’d just do the same thing again when other customers came in.”
According to Grater, he saw Fortnight take customers’ bowling balls into the backroom without their permission. When customers found out what was going on they would ask for their ball back. “But the ball seemed different to them. It wouldn’t hook anymore. Something was off.”
Grater reported the situation to local police. Police obtained a search warrant and were granted access to the bowling alley’s security cameras. “What I saw shocked me to the core,” said deputy Karl Blank. “He was cleaning the balls with some powdered hand soap, steel wool and rough paper towels. He didn’t use a microfiber towel. We arrested him on the spot for bowling ball abuse.”
Fortnight’s criminal history shows he’s had issues with bowling ball abuse throughout the country over the past 12 years. He’s simply moved on to other places where bowling alleys don’t know of his criminal past.
Grater wasn’t surprised to hear of the arrest. “He needs to be locked up for a long time. Whenever he gets out he shouldn’t be allowed within 500 feet of a bowling alley. This kind of stuff has to stop.”
Fortnight’s trial is set for next month.
