Texas Rangers Pitcher Arrested for DUI

According to a recent news feature from Yahoo Sports, Texas Rangers relief pitcher, Jeremy Jeffress, was arrested for drunk driving last Friday, and authorities have said he allegedly urinated on himself during the incident.

Authorities say the arrest occurred around two in the morning in the Uptown neighborhood of the city.   The police initiated the stop after he allegedly changed lanes without using a turn signal and nearly hit a police cruiser. When officers approached his car and looked inside, they allege that they immediately detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and that his eyes were bloodshot, glassy, and watery.  He allegedly told officers that he had three or four drinks of Hennessey and coke. At this point in the drunk driving investigation, officers asked Jeffress to submit to a series of standardized field sobriety tests (SFSTs).  This includes three tests which are the Walk and Turn Test (WAT), the One Legged Stand (OLS), and the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test.  The HGN test is an eye test where the officer asks a suspect to follow his or her pen, finger, or flash light (stimulus) with their eyes.  The reason for this test is because, as the officers will describe during a drunk driving trial, a sober person’s eyes will roll back and forth like a marble on wet glass, but a drunk person’s eyes will typically stutter as if it was a windshield wiper on a dry windshield.  This stuttering is known as a nystagmus.

Authorities have said that he was unsteady on his feet when asked to balance and also urinated on himself during the sobriety testing.  At this point, they determined he was driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and placed him under arrest.  He was released on $500 bail just before noon. He was in the holding cell for about six hours following his arrest, so he could be processed and sober up.

It should be noted that even though he was arrested for drunk driving, he has not been convicted of any crime in connection with this matter.  He is presumed innocent unless and until found guilty in a court of law by a judge or jury beyond a reasonable double or pleads guilty. As he is an athlete, is it possible he will face additional discipline, including a suspension from playing in some number of games, though players in Major League Baseball (MLB) do have more protection than those who play for the National Football League (NFL) due to a strong player’s union.

One of the reasons they take these incidents so seriously is because any time someone gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, it could result in a serious drunk driving accident with serious personal injury or even death.   When a person is drunk, it is very difficult for them to have the mental focus of physical control of their bodies to safely operate a motor vehicle.  This is the reason for so many drunk driving accidents.

If you or someone you love has been injured a Boston drunk driving accident, call for a free and confidential appointment at (617) 777-7777.

Additional Resources:

Rangers pitcher gets arrested for drunk driving, urinates on himself, August 26, 2016, By Mike Oz, Yahoo Sports

More Blog Entries:

Bruins Star Ray Bourque Arrested for Drunk Driving After Car Accident, July 5, 2016, Boston Drunk Driving Injury Lawyer Blog