Cincinnati Reds infielder arrested in Tampa
By Times Staff
Published January 9, 2006
TAMPA - Cincinnati Reds infielder Ryan Freel was arrested by Tampa police early Sunday and charged with disorderly intoxication, according to jail records.
It was his second alcohol-related arrest in less than a year.
Freel, 29, was out of jail after posting $250 bail less than eight hours after Sunday's arrest.
He refused to take a Breathalyzer test.
According to Freel's arrest report, he was standing outside the Rack on W Platt Street about 3:30 a.m. "screaming obscenities" at someone.
He continued to yell even after a police officer asked him to stop.
The officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Freel's breath and noticed that his eyes were glossy and red and his speech was slurred.
In April, Freel was arrested in northern Kentucky and charged with drunken driving after the Reds beat the New York Mets in their season opener.
Police then also charged him with careless driving and having an open container in his vehicle.
Freel, who lives in Jacksonville, joined the Reds in 2003.
In December, he signed a two-year contract worth $3-million with the team.
In 2005, Freel earned $405,000.
Two boys tell police they saw girl abductedST. PETERSBURG - Police are investigating a report by two boys who said they witnessed a girl's abduction Sunday behind their home.
The boys, ages 10 and 11, said they saw a blue, older model Ford pickup stop and back up about 11 a.m. in the 2500 block of Second Avenue S.
They saw a girl, 5 to 7 years old, pulled into the truck against her will. The truck had rust spots on the passenger door, a loud engine and a broken passenger's side tail light, the boys told police.
Police said the neighborhood had been tense since Saturday, when a 12-year-old girl told authorities that an elderly man driving a newer model silver or gray four-door sedan tried to abduct her in the 2500 block of Third Avenue S.
Police have been unable to verify that any children were missing on Sunday. No missing children had been reported.