FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- A legal technicality in Broward County, Fla., led to the release of former New York Yankees player Jim Leyritz from police custody, attorneys say.
Attorneys agreed in court this week that Leyritz should be released from jail because of a technicality that voided the warrant for his arrest that had been signed by Broward Circuit Judge Marc Gold, The Miami Herald said Wednesday.
Leyritz was charged with driving under the influence and manslaughter in a 2007 accident that resulted in the death of Fredia Ann Veitch and faced a possible sentence of 15 years in prison.
The DUI charge had been removed from Gold's jurisdiction after prosecutors filed a motion seeking his recusal from the manslaughter case. Prosecutor Stefanie Newman said Gold's removal from the case meant the arrest warrant he signed was invalid and Leyritz should be freed.
Newman said after Tuesday's hearing the state attorney general's office was to blame for the problem that set Leyritz free, the Herald reported.
A spokeswoman for the state agency said an appellate court for a new county judge to hear the state's request for a revocation of Leyritz's bond.
Leytitz played 11 seasons in the major leagues, mostly with the Yankees. He last played in 2000.
