SACRAMENTO (AP) -Prosecutors expect to decide by next week whether to file drug charges against baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda, who was arrested after being pulled over for speeding earlier this month.
Laboratory results on a white powder found inside the car are expected by May 22, the day of Cepeda’s first scheduled court appearance, Marsha Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Solano County District Attorney’s office, said Tuesday.
A field test conducted at the regional California Highway Patrol office the day Cepeda was arrested identified the powder as cocaine, but such onsite tests can be wrong, Johnson said.
Prosecutors also are trying to determine whether the 2001 Lexus Cepeda was driving and the drugs found in his possession were his.
“Even though the field tests were positive for cocaine, the report doesn’t say the car he was driving was his or if he was asked who the powder belonged to,” Johnson said.
The 69-year-old Cepeda was stopped May 1 after the CHP clocked him driving 83 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 80 in Cordelia, about 40 miles northeast of San Francisco. He was arrested after the officer discovered marijuana and a substance the officer believed to be cocaine in the car.
Cepeda told officers the powder was methamphetamine, CHP Sgt. Christine Rogers said.
Cepeda’s attorney, Ted Cassman, said Tuesday the former slugger was not responsible for any drugs found in the car. Earlier, he told The Associated Press the marijuana was for medicinal use by a family member who has diabetes.
Cassman declined to say whether Cepeda owned the car and said he was waiting for a copy of the arrest report before commenting further.
In its report to prosecutors, the highway patrol recommended Cepeda be charged with one felony count of possessing a controlled substance. In addition to the speeding violation, the CHP also recommended two misdemeanor charges, for possession of a syringe and possession of less than one ounce of marijuana.
After his playing career ended, Cepeda was convicted in 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, of smuggling marijuana and sentenced to five years in prison.
A first baseman during his 17 big league seasons, Cepeda started his career with the Giants before playing for St. Louis, Atlanta, Oakland, Boston and Kansas City.
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