Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was jailed by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department early this morning on a charge of suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a police report obtained by the Post-Dispatch.
La Russa, 62, was booked at 4:07 a.m. local time after Jupiter police conducted the traffic stop.
The arrest potentially represents La Russa’s first offense, according to the report.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff placed the report online before most players had arrived at the team’s spring training complex.
La Russa typically arrives at Roger Dean Stadium around 7 a.m.
A release from the Jupiter Police Department said the traffic stop had happened around midnight. The police report said he had been given a field sobriety test that showed La Russa’s blood alcohol level was 0.093. Florida law considers 0.080 driving under the influence. He gave two breath samples at Palm Beach County Jail before being booked.
La Russa was found inside his stalled dark blue Escalade SUV at Frederick Small Blvd. and Military Trail, about 1 1/2 miles from the stadium and less than a mile from the manager’s spring residence, the release from Jupiter police said.
La Russa was found asleep behind the wheel with his foot on the vehicle’s brake pedal. When an undercover officer told him to put the car in park, the Cardinals manager complied, according to a release.
A report filed by Jupiter police said that the Cardinals manager was breathing but that initial attempts to rouse La Russa by "repeated knocks on the window" on the driver’s side window had failed.
Well this gets the 2007 season off with a bang.
2 comments:
Ah Tony. Bad break, but could've been worse. Luckily he didn't hurt anyone or himself. Gotta give the guy credit though. A couple hours in the Palm Beach County jail at 4 a.m. and he's back at work the next day. I can barely make it after having a few too many and getting to bed by midnight. God love ya' buddy... =)
How do you fall asleep in the middle of the intersection with the car in drive?
THAT takes skill.
Seriously, you are right it could have been much worse, and Tony has been very believably contrite.
Besides, he just led us to the World Series, he gets at least one major screw up.
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