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Sports Plus: K-Rod's Charges

By Steve Kallas

On Wednesday night at Citi Field, after the Mets latest loss to Colorado, Met closer Francisco Rodriguez was arrested for punching his father-in-law in the face and placed in a holding cell at Citi Field. His father-in-law was taken to Flushing Hospital.

K-Rod is charged with assault in the third degree, a Class A misdemeanor. That is section 120.00 of the New York Penal Law which states, in pertinent part:

Assault in the third degree.
A person is guilty of assault in the third degree when:

1. With intent to cause physical injury to another person, he causes such injury to
Such person or a third person; or
2. He recklessly causes physical injury to another person … .

Assault in the third degree is punishable by up to one year in prison. While K-Rod was held overnight in a holding cell at Citi Field, a place usually reserved for rowdy or drunk fans, he will be arraigned this morning at Queens Criminal Court. Certainly at that time he will be released on his own recognizance or on a small bail. If things go quickly enough, he could conceivably be available to the Mets for Thursday afternoon's game against Colorado.

K-Rod is fortunate that he was not charged with Assault in the second degree, which is a Class D felony (obviously a more serious crime). The only difference in the statute is that he would have had to have intended to cause "serious" physical injury to his father-in-law as opposed to just physical injury.

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