Dodgers Star Yasiel Puig Freed Of Reckless Driving Charge In Florida

NAPLES, Fla. — Prosecutors have dropped a reckless driving charge against Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.

The state attorney’s office in southwest Florida dropped the charge Tuesday. A memo from prosecutors explained that excessive speed wasn’t sufficient to prosecute the case without other aggravating factors, such as weaving in and out of traffic, losing control of the vehicle or causing other drivers to brake or swerve.

The 23-year-old Cuban defector was arrested Dec. 28 at the western end of Alligator Alley near Naples after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper reported clocking him at 110 mph in a 70-mph zone. Puig lives in the Miami area during the offseason.

In April last year, Puig was clocked going 97 in a 50-mph zone in Tennessee, though those charges were later dismissed.