Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player Derek Bell is facing a drug charge after being arrested for allegedly possessing cocaine. During his MLB career, Bell played for the Toronto Blue Jays, the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, New York Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
According to a report from the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, just after 4:30 p.m., on Nov. 16, a deputy on routine patrol noticed a blue Daixi motor scooter headed northbound on Jefferson Street in Brooksville. The detective also noticed that the vehicle had no Florida Tag and that its male driver was not wearing protective eyewear while operating it.
During a subsequent traffic stop in the parking lot of a liquor store on Jefferson Street, the driver identified himself as 53-year-old Derek Bell.
Bell later told the deputy that he had purchased the motorbike from someone about a month before, but could not remember the name or the seller and could not produce a bill of sale.
Bell did produce an identity card, but told the deputy that he was operating the vehicle without a license because his was suspended in November 2015 after he failed to pay a traffic ticket.
While their conversation continued, the deputy noticed that Bell kept putting his right hand into the pocket of his shorts. When the deputy tried to handcuff him, Bell walked backward away from the deputy.
As he attempted to walk away, the deputy noticed that Bell’s right hand was clenched around a clear, plastic baggy. The deputy later was able to handcuff Bell who released the baggie.
Field testing revealed that the bag contained a yellowish white substance that tested positive for crack cocaine. Bell was subsequently arrested and booked into the Hernando County Detention Center on a single count of cocaine possession. He is free on bond.
He is slated to appear in court on Dec. 6 to answer the charge.
The charge is the latest against Bell who was arrested in Tampa on similar drug-related charges in 2006 and 2008.
