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Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has been charged with driving under the influence after allegedly dropping his car into a sidewalk in February, leaving it smoking on the side of a Phoenix-area road, according to court records obtained by ESPN.
This is the second known drunk driving arrest for La Russa, who in 2007 pleaded guilty to the DUI offense in Jupiter, Florida.
A 76-year-old Hall of Famer long regarded as one of baseball’s most cunning managers, the hiring of La Russa to lead the White Sox last week after a nine-year absence from the dugout has shocked observers while throughout the game.
When reached by ESPN on Monday night, La Russa said, “I have nothing to say,” and hung up the phone.
A spokesperson for the White Sox said the organization was aware of the incident.
“Because this is an active case,” he said, “we cannot say more at this time.”
At 11:40 p.m. on February 24, a peace officer answered a call and found La Russa standing next to her SUV, according to an affidavit filed by the Arizona Department of Public Safety. La Russa told the officer, who had detected a “slight smell of alcoholic beverage,” that he had been to a dinner party with friends of the Los Angeles Angels, for whom he worked as a special adviser. La Russa was arrested near the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and he told the officer he hit something and blew up a tire, according to the affidavit. After a field sobriety test, La Russa was taken into custody. In the affidavit, the peace officer described it as “argumentative”.
La Russa refused to undergo a breath test or provide a sample of his blood or urine to test for his blood alcohol level, according to the affidavit, and the officer obtained a search warrant to take two tubes of blood from La Russa. This is standard procedure for DUI cases in Arizona, said Michael Munoz, a Phoenix-area DUI criminal defense attorney who is not affiliated with the case. Munoz also said it was not uncommon for cases not to be filed for several months due to slowdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic; however, other law enforcement sources in Arizona told ESPN the delay seemed excessive.
A spokesperson for the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office told ESPN she was unable to comment on an ongoing case, but said: “Charges have been brought to our office by the Department of Arizona Public Security for DUI “and there was a delay caused by his initial filing. in the wrong jurisdiction.
Information from Maricopa County courts shows the case was filed on October 28 – a day before La Russa was officially hired by the White Sox – and notes that La Russa was cited for driving under the influence and recording of a blood. alcohol content of 0.08 or more, which is a misdemeanor. If convicted, La Russa faces up to 10 days in jail, although Munoz said that in most cases first-time offenders serve a day, pay a fine and must use a system locking device. ignition for a maximum of one year. Munoz said a DUI more than seven years earlier would not count as a prior DUI under Arizona law, which provides severe penalties for repeat offenders.
La Russa had previously been arrested for DUI after falling asleep at a traffic light near the St. Louis Cardinals spring training facility, which he led for 16 years and led to two world series. La Russa’s blood alcohol level was then 0.093%, above the legal limit of 0.08%. His arrest came five weeks before the death of Josh Hancock, a Cardinals pitcher, while driving while intoxicated and crashing into a parked truck.
On the day of her guilty plea to the 2007 DUI, La Russa said in a statement: “I accept full responsibility for my conduct and assure everyone that I have learned a very valuable lesson and that this will not happen again. never.”
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