Gooden charged with DWI
NEWARK, N.J. — Fallen Mets superstar Dwight Gooden was once again warming a bench in a New Jersey jail cell Monday — just hours before he was supposed to show up in court for a June drug arrest, officials said.
Newark police tagged the hero hurler for drunk driving after he was seen rolling the wrong way down a one way street near Ferry and Vincent streets in the Irondale section of Newark in a 2012 black Chrysler at about 11 p.m., a department spokesman said.
When cops pulled him over, Gooden — who pitched the Mets to their most recent World Series championship in 1986 — appeared drunk, officials said.
The officers took him into custody and then called medics after he complained about a medical issue. He was taken to University Medical Center for further evaluation.
He was charged with driving while intoxicated.
“It’s sad to see the continued problems of this former Mets’ star but it’s an example of the persistent scourge of drugs and alcohol in this country and the stranglehold they have on addicts,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement.
Gooden, 54, whose continuing drug saga drove him out of a Hall of Fame career, was arrested just hours before he had a court appearance in Holmdel, N.J., where he was arrested on June 7 for drug possession. He was expected to answer the traffic violations he received during the arrest, not the drug charges, officials said.