Kathy Eisemann, 70, of Belleville sits at home and cries, because she can't attend her grandson's basketball games at Belleville West High School, according to a family member.

"It's just heartbreaking," said her daughter Kriss Foster, 36, of Belleville.

Foster said her mother had an incident at a Belleville West basketball game in December, when she swung her purse at two people heckling her.

Eisemann, who uses a wheelchair, has had two strokes and is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, according to Foster.

As a result of the December incident, Foster said her mother is not permitted to attend basketball games at West, including the senior recognition game Tuesday night when her grandson, West senior Donnie Foster, 18, was honored.

"She can't even go and watch, because they won't let her in there," Kriss Foster said.

"It's aggravating. Grandma loves to go and show her support."

Belleville District 201 Assistant Superintendent Brian Mentzer described it as a "difficult situation."

"There was a situation at school involving several parties," Mentzer said. "Unfortunately in this case, the end result of that situation was requesting individuals not return to basketball games at the school."

No formal charges were filed against Eisemann, who has no criminal record in St. Clair County.

"She goes to all the baseball and basketball games," said Foster, who has three sons who attend Belleville West. "It's the highlight of her day to watch her grandkids."

Foster admits that what her mother did was wrong and she doesn't always "know what she's talking about," but calls the all-out basketball game ban "ridiculous."

"She (Eisemann) doesn't understand why she can't go and how do you explain it in the situation she is in," Foster said. "She doesn't think it was that big of a deal."

Foster said district officials plan to allow Eisemann to attend baseball games in the spring, but she's not allowed to go to any more basketball games.

"She just wants to go watch her grandson," Foster said.

Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 239-2562 or jforsythe1@bnd.com.