Pubdate: Wed, 24 Aug 2005
Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL)
Copyright: 2005 St. Petersburg Times
Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/letters/
Website: http://www.sptimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419
Author: Mitch Stacy, Associated Press Writer
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GOODEN SOUGHT BY POLICE AFTER FLEEING TRAFFIC STOP

TAMPA, Fla. -- Former baseball star Dwight Gooden was being sought by 
police Tuesday on a felony warrant after he allegedly drove away from an 
officer who stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving.

Gooden, 41, left the scene of the traffic stop early Monday after refusing 
to get out his 2004 BMW to take a field sobriety test, police spokeswoman 
Laura McElroy said.

The officer stopped Gooden's car because he was weaving in traffic near 
downtown Tampa, McElroy said. Gooden, a Tampa native and resident, has a 
history of drug abuse and is awaiting trial on a domestic violence charge.

"The officer pulls over the car and immediately notices that the driver is 
under the influence," she said. "He has bloodshot, glassy eyes, his speech 
was slurred and he has a strong odor of alcohol."

Gooden handed the officer his driver's license but refused two requests to 
get out of the car, McElroy said. He then drove off with the officer still 
holding his license.

Police chose not pursue for safety reasons, McElroy said, but went to his 
two known addresses to look for him. They also contacted his most recent 
employer, the New York Yankees, and his mother, she said.

Yankees spokesman Howard Grosswirth said Tuesday that Gooden hasn't worked 
for the team as a special adviser since the spring and team officials don't 
know his whereabouts.

"I feel very sorry for Dwight," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said 
through spokesman Howard Rubenstein. "He left the Yankees in April of his 
own accord."

But Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield, Gooden's nephew, appeared to 
indicate the Yankees had cut ties with Gooden.

"You got to do the right thing, you've got to live a certain way and do the 
right things that's required," Sheffield said. "If you're not doing it, you 
can't expect to be working for somebody. So they did what they had to do, 
and his situation I'm sure got to him and hopefully he can overcome it."

Gooden, who was out of jail on bail after a March domestic violence arrest, 
is wanted on felony charges of DUI and fleeing police, and a misdemeanor 
charge of resisting arrest without violence.

"At this point he is in a lot of trouble, and the only way he can help 
himself is to come forward and take responsibility for his actions," 
McElroy said.

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.

"It's sad, it really is," said Yankees manager Joe Torre, who said he was 
unaware of the news. "Doc's obviously had some problems through the years 
and it's a shame for what he's gone through."

Gooden was arrested by Tampa police in 2002 on a drunken driving charge, 
but later pleaded guilty to reckless driving and received a year probation. 
He was arrested in March and charged with hitting his live-in girlfriend in 
the face during an argument. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic 
battery, and the case is pending.

A call to Peter Hobson, the lawyer representing Gooden in the domestic 
violence case, was not immediately returned Tuesday.

During his playing days, Gooden was suspended for 60 days in 1994 for 
testing positive for cocaine while with the Mets. He tested positive for 
cocaine again while on suspension and was sidelined for the 1995 season.

"I'm sure everybody in a family has a person in their family that has a 
problem - drug related or whatever," Sheffield said. "He happens to be the 
one. It's just one of those things where when he hurts, I hurt."

Earlier this month his son, Dwight Gooden Jr., 19, was jailed for violating 
his probation for cocaine possession. Police said they found marijuana and 
bullets in the younger Gooden's vehicle parked outside a nightclub.

Gooden's disappearance is reminiscent of the 2001 disappearance of his 
friend and former teammate Darryl Strawberry, who was missing for four days 
after he walked away from a drug treatment center where he was under house 
arrest.

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AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman