Former MLB All-Star Lenny Dykstra faces drug charges following New Year’s Day traffic stop in Pennsylvania
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Former MLB All-Star Lenny Dykstra faces drug charges following a traffic stop by Pennsylvania State Police on New Year’s Day.
Pennsylvania police officers found Dykstra, 62, with drugs and paraphernalia in his possession while he was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped in Pike County.
Pike County is about 25 miles east of Scranton, where Dykstra lives.
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Former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra, accused of making threats against an Uber driver, rejects a plea offer before Union County Superior Court Judge Joseph Donahue. At his side is lawyer Michael Brucki. (IMAGE)
Police said charges were filed against Dykstra, although it was not specified what drugs were allegedly found.
Dykstra’s attorney, Matthew Blit, said in a statement to The News that he believes these charges will be “quickly cleared” since the vehicle did not belong to the former player.
Dykstra also was not charged with being under the influence of a substance at the scene, according to Blit.
FORMER MLB STAR LENNY DYKSTRA PLEDS GUILTY TO DISORDERLY CONDUCT; DRUG AND TERRORIST THREATS CHARGES HAVE BEEN DROPPED
“To the extent charges are brought against him, they will be quickly acquitted,” the statement read.
Dykstra has had legal problems in the past, including serving prison time in California for bankruptcy fraud. He was sentenced to more than six months after being found guilty of concealing baseball gloves and other items from his MLB days.
Dykstra also served a three-year sentence for pleading no contest to Grand Theft Auto and providing a false financial statement, claiming he owed more than $31 million and only had $50,000 in assets. Their prison sentences were concurrent.
Lenny Dykstra #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies watches from the dugout against the San Francisco Giants during a Major League Baseball game circa 1993 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. Dykstra played for the Phillies from 1989 to 1996. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
Then, in April 2012, he pleaded no contest to his exposure to women he met through Craigslist.
Finally, in 2019, Dykstra faced numerous legal problems, including pleading guilty on behalf of his company, Titan Equity Group, to illegally renting rooms in a house he owned in New Jersey. He agreed to pay about $3,000 in fines.
That same year, Dykstra had drug and terrorist threat charges dropped after an altercation with an Uber driver. Police said at the time that they found cocaine, MDMA and marijuana among Dykstra’s belongings, although his attorney claimed the incident was “exaggerated.”
Dykstra was a three-time All-Star during his 12-year MLB career, which began with the New York Mets and ended with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Lenny Dykstra attends the 69th Annual Artists and Writers Softball Game at Herrick Park on August 19, 2017, in East Hampton, New York. (Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images)
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Dykstra’s three All-Star seasons came in Philadelphia, where he was traded from New York during the 1989 season.
Dykstra finished second in MVP voting during the 1993 season after leading the National League with 194 hits, 143 runs and 129 walks while hitting .305/.420/.382 with 44 doubles and 66 RBI.
The News contributed to this report.
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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for News Digital.