Remember when everyone was ready to string up Derek Lowe along MLB's various other intoxicated-while-driving miscreants? Let's see how many editorials this update inspires:
Derek Lowe Excused From Drunk-Driving Charge
DUI and reckless driving charges have been dismissed against Braves pitcher Derek Lowe.
One of Lowe's attorneys, Cory Yager, said Thursday that solicitor Raines Carter, the chief prosecutor in Atlanta Municipal Court, agreed to dismiss the charges for lack of evidence.
Yager says police video following the April 28 arrest showed Lowe "did remarkably well" in his field sobriety tests after declining a breath test.
Now, of course there’s the distinct possibility that Lowe escaped prosecution on the serious charges -- he was cited for an improper lane change, too -- thanks to some combination or fancy lawyering and shoddy police work.
There’s also the distinct possibility that he hadn’t been drinking, or had been drinking but wasn’t legally drunk.
More than anything, this suggests why the Players Association isn’t thrilled with the notion of levying suspensions the moment a player is charged with driving while intoxicated. Because, you know, sometimes guys are actually innocent. Or innocent enough.
Our justice system, however imperfect, is there for a reason. We might as well use it when we can.
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