Former MLB star busted in Arizona for DUI and indecent exposure
Former MLB slugger Albert Belle was arrested Sunday on two counts of indecent exposure and two counts of driving under the influence.
He was picked up at a Cactus League spring training game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to KSAZ-TV in Phoenix.
BREAKING: Albert Belle arrested in Scottsdale during a spring training game.
2 counts of indecent exposure
1 count of DUI (using liquor, drugs or vapors)
1 count of Extreme DUI (BAC of .08 or more) pic.twitter.com/3zMgRczQi3— Matt Rodewald (@Matt_Rodewald) March 26, 2018
Belle was booked on Sunday at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, according to police records.
One of the DUI counts against the former Indians, White Sox and Orioles star was for extreme DUI for having a blood alcohol content of 0.8 percent or more. The other was for using liquor, drugs or vapors.
Details on what Belle, 51, did to warrant the indecent exposure charges have not emerged.
Belle was one of the most feared hitters in the game during the 1990s.
His best year was 1995, when he led the league in home runs (50) and RBIs (126) and batted .317 for Cleveland. He finished second in the MVP balloting that year.
Belle led the American League in RBIs three times and led the league in homers once.
In 1998 with the White Sox, he hit 49 home runs with 152 RBIs.
Albert Belle. In his better days … pic.twitter.com/SfLyUHJnsz
— Steven R. Walker (@Steve_R_Walker) March 26, 2018
Belle retired after the 2000 season with 381 career home runs and 1,239 RBIs in 12 seasons in the majors.
Many, however, will remember him for his off-the-field behavior. He had numerous run-ins with the law and with fans.
In 1996, some kids egged his house on Halloween and he chased them down in his SUV. He allegedly hit one of the kids in the knee with the bumper. The kid sued Belle and the two sides settled out of court.
In 2006, Belle spent 90 days in jail for stalking his former girlfriend.
In 1990, while with the Indians, he spent 10 weeks in rehab for alcoholism.
Bleacher Report put him at No. 2, behind only Ty Cobb, on its list of “The 50 Biggest Scumbags in Sports History.”
“Belle was an all-time great jerk,” it said. “He would refuse to talk to the media, once threw a baseball at a heckling fan and destroyed both home and away clubhouses to get out his frustrations. … There was also that whole corking every one of his bats incident.”
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
