Jan 31, 2008 12:17 pm US/Eastern
Jim Leyritz Arraigned In Fla. On New DUI Charge
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS) ―
A former Major League ball player pleaded not guilty to a new charge of DUI manslaughter with an unlawful alcohol level.
During a hearing in Ft. Lauderdale, a judge ordered 44-year Jim Leyritz to blow into a machine three times a day to prove he has not been drinking while he awaits trial.
Last December Leyritz, who played for the New York Yankees, allegedly crashed his 2006 Ford Expedition into a vehicle driven by 30-year old Fredia Ann Veitch. Veitch, who was thrown from her Mitsubishi Montero on impact, died.
He was originally charged with DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage and released on bond. The additional charge of DUI manslaughter with an unlawful blood-alcohol level was added after toxicology results showed his blood-alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit the day of the deadly crash.
David Bogenschutz, Leyritz's lawyer, said he plans to contest the reported blood alcohol level, reported CBS station WFOR-TV in Miami.
Leyritz, who has a long list of citations on his driving record including a license suspension in New York, is free on an $11-thousand bond. In his career, Leyritz played for six major league teams, starred in the 1996 World Series and was last in the majors in 2000.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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