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Dec 30, 2007 8:53 am US/Eastern
Former Yankee Out Of Jail On DUI Charge
Leyritz Faces A Charge Of DUI Manslaughter
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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Former NY Yankee Jim Leyritz, arrested in Fort Lauderdale for allegedly driving drunk and contributing to an accident where one person died.
Broward County Sheriff's Office/CBS
Former NY Yankee Jim Leyritz, 44, arrested in Ft. Lauderdale Thursday night for allegedly driving drunk, hitting an SUV and killing a mother of two inside, was released on bond Saturday.
Ft. Lauderdale Police say three witnesses saw Leyritz drive north on the Avenue of the Arts and run a red light. They say he then struck a Mitsubishi Montero, driven by 30-year-old Fredia Veitch, who was driving home from work. The impact was so strong that she was ejected from the vehicle.
Paramedics transported Veitch to Broward General Hospital, where she later died.
"He had red watery eyes," said Detective Kathy Collins. "He smelled of alcohol."
Leyritz is out on $11,000 bond. According to a police report, he refused a breathalyzer test, but later took a blood test after the victim died.
The accident happened at SW 7th Avenue and 2nd Street by the Performing Arts Center.
CBS4's Carey Codd knocked on Leyritz's door Friday night to get his reaction, but no one answered the door. The day of the crash was his 44th birthday.
Veitch's family was mourning at her Plantation home Friday night, but they didn't have any comment.
Leyritz is best known for hitting a clutch homerun during the 1996 World Series.
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