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Gooden accused of domestic abuse

Police say the former pitcher, now an assistant with the Yankees, struck a woman during an argument at his home Sunday.

By Times Staff
Published March 14, 2005

TAMPA - Former New York Yankees pitcher Dwight Gooden was arrested on a domestic violence charge early Sunday, according to Tampa police. Gooden, 40, was held at the Orient Road Jail without bail.

A police report listed the victim as a woman who Gooden has lived with for approximately two years, but authorities did not release her name. The report said the two have a child together.

They were at their Harbor Island home about 12:20 a.m. when the argument started, according to police. She threw a telephone headset at Gooden, then he punched her, said Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.

Gooden struck her in the forehead with a closed fist, leaving a mark, the police report said. McElroy said the woman refused medical treatment.

Dwight Gooden filed for divorce in August 2003 after separating from his wife. The two married in November 1987.

Gooden was arrested in February 2002 on a drunken driving charge. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of reckless driving and a Hillsborough judge withheld adjudication and sentenced Gooden to a year's probation.

A Hillsborough High graduate, Gooden was drafted by the Mets in 1982, played in three World Series, and amassed 194 wins and 2,293 strikeouts before retiring.

[Last modified March 14, 2005, 04:32:26]