Troubled former baseball player Dwight Gooden turned himself in to police Thursday. He had been missing since early Monday, after driving away from a suspected drunk driving traffic stop near his Tampa, FL. home.
The former Cy Young winner and Rookie of the Year received a felony charge of fleeing police, and misdemeanors of DUI and resisting arrest. Gooden had been free on bail following a domestic violence incident at the time of his disappearance. Gooden will be jailed without bail until an October hearing.
Spokesperson Laura McElroy said that police looking for Gooden had talked to his attorney, Peter Hobson, on Wednesday, but he did not indicate that he knew where Gooden was or that he wanted to surrender.
Dwight Gooden's booking photo from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (CP)
Gooden has had a number of substance abuse problems in the past, including a suspension from major league baseball for the entire 1995 season.
"I think it's clear that he recognizes he needs help," said prosecutor Pam Bondi, who agreed to let Gooden try to get into treatment for "evaluation of an alcohol and/or drug problem." The attorneys said it wasn't clear if or when space would become available for Gooden.
