Reds’ Mike Leake Arrested For Theft

Doing so would involve Leake entering the city’s diversion program for first offenders. His attorney spoke with the judge about the program, and a May 18 hearing date has been set to determine whether or not Leake is a suitable candidate.

If he is, Leake would admit guilt to his offense and pay a $200 program fee. From there, he would check in with an official on a monthly basis and attend classes, undergo counseling, and/or perform community service. If Leake were able to fulfill all of the program’s obligations, the arrest would be erased from his public record.

From the Reds’ official statement about Mike Leake’s arrest for shoplifting:

Two things about this:

Leake...was arrested after Macy’s department store loss prevention employees stopped the Reds pitcher today after they say he took $59.88 in property from the store.In case you were wondering, Leake’s draft bonus was about $2.3 million. But if you spend $2.4 million on shirts, you have to find creative ways to get more shirts, I guess.

Leake, a right-handed starting pitcher, made the Reds’ rotation in 2010 without spending a day in the minor leagues, the first pitcher to do so since Jim Abbott. He was off to a 2-0 start with a 5.40 ERA in his first three starts of 2011.