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Gooden surrenders at jail

Police had been searching for the former baseball star since Monday, when a Tampa officer attempted to arrest him on DUI charges.

By BRADY DENNIS
Published August 25, 2005

TAMPA -- Former baseball pitching star Dwight Gooden turned himself in at Hillsborough County's Falkenburg Road Jail at 4:55 p.m. Thursday, after nearly four days as a wanted man.

Police had issued a warrant for the 40-year-old former Yankee on charges of DUI, fleeing and eluding police and resisting arrest without violence.

According to reports, a Tampa police officer stopped Gooden about 2:40 a.m. Monday on Cleveland Street because Gooden's BMW was weaving in and out of his lane. The officer said Gooden's speech was slurred, his eyes bloodshot and he smelled of alcohol.

When asked to get out for a field sobriety test, Gooden refused. He hit the gas pedal and drove off, police said.

At the time of the encounter, Gooden was out of jail on bail from a domestic violence arrest this spring.

He is scheduled to appear in court Friday morning for a hearing to revoke his bond on the March domestic violence charge, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.

Police looking for Gooden had talked to his attorney, Peter Hobson, on Wednesday, but he did not indicate that he knew where Gooden was or that he wanted to surrender, McElroy said. McElroy said she didn't know where the former major leaguer had been.

The 1984 Rookie of the Year and the 1985 NL Cy Young Award winner while with the New York Mets, Gooden went 194-112 with a 3.51 ERA before retiring in 2001. He also pitched for the Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See tomorrow's Times or sptimes.com for the full report.

[Last modified August 25, 2005, 18:34:55]