Reckless driving and speeding on a Saturday night could indicate that a driver is intoxicated, prompting a Georgia police officer to ask the driver to take a field sobriety test or a breath test. On the other hand, one’s efforts to avoid being pulled over by police by driving too safely on our Athens roads could also give an officer reason to believe that a driver may be drunk.
This week, an Atlanta Braves pitcher was arrested and charged with DUI after police pulled him over for driving too slowly. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cristhian Martinez is the second Braves pitcher to be arrested for DUI since April of last year. Although the baseball team did not take disciplinary action against Derek Lowe after his arrest last year until Lowe’s legal case was resolved, the team has indicated that disciplinary action will be taken against Martinez while his case is still pending.
The baseball player was pulled over in Gwinnett County this morning after police noted that Martinez was driving only 40 mph on I-85. Police also claim that the Braves pitcher failed to maintain his lane while he was driving slowly on the interstate. After pulling Martinez over, police administered a breath test. The results of the breath test indicated that the baseball player’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit.
While the player faces legal consequences for allegedly driving drunk, the Atlanta Braves have commented that the pitcher will be required by the team to undergo an evaluation by a professional outside of the Major League Baseball organization. Once the evaluation is completed and the team is informed about the official DUI arrest and charges, further disciplinary action could be taken against the pitcher by the MLB.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Braves reliever Martinez arrested for DUI – updated,” Carroll Rogers, April 2, 2012