Former MLB pitcher arrested on DUI charge day after graduating from police academy – Law Officer

HENDERSON, Nev. – A former Major League Baseball pitcher was arrested and charged with DUI last week,  merely 24 hours after he was sworn in as a Nevada police officer, according to reports.

On Thursday, March 21, Chasen Bradford, 34, was among 14 academy graduates welcomed aboard as a sworn member of the Henderson Police Department. The following day, his very brief tenure in police work came to an end when he was arrested for DUI, reported KSNV.

“On the evening of March 22, 2024, one of those (graduating) officers chose to drink and drive resulting in their arrest by the Henderson Police Department,” a statement from Henderson Police Chief Hollie Chadwick read.

***revised version***

A message from the Chief of Police Hollie Chadwick pic.twitter.com/VkFc6VnhVc

— Henderson Police (@HendersonNVPD) March 23, 2024

Henderson officers were dispatched to the area of Anthem Parkway and Schaeffer Hills Drive about 10:23 p.m. regarding reports of a possible intoxicated driver, who was “hitting medians” and “driving up on a curb.”

The vehicle, described as a gray Ford pickup truck, was stopped and the driver was identified as Bradford. He was asked to exit the vehicle so police could administer a series of field sobriety tests, according to KSNV.

The former MLB pitcher initially told officers he only had two Coors Light beers, but eventually acknowledge drinking 5 or 6 beers throughout the day, while saying his last drink came at about 10:15 p.m.

During a preliminary alcohol screening test in the field, Bradford blew a .104. Once police placed him under arrest for suspicion of DUI, he took two more breath tests when he arrived at the Henderson Detention Center, which showed a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .094 on the first and then a .098 on his second.

Like every other state, the legal BAC limit in Nevada is .08. A driver is presumed to be impaired with any amount exceeding the legal limit.

Bradford was originally hired as a police candidate by the City of Henderson — a suburb southeast of Las Vegas — on Sept. 25, 2023. Since he was a probationary employee and did not have the full vested rights of a police officer, he was fired less than a day after his arrest.

“This probationary officer was promptly terminated and is no longer a member of the Henderson Police Department,” Chadwick noted.

According to the New York Post, Bradford played collegiate baseball at the University of Central Florida prior to being drafted by the New York Mets in the 35th round of the 2011 amateur draft.

The Nevada native made his professional pitching debut with the Mets in 2017, making 28 appearances while earning two wins with a 3.74 ERA.

The Seattle Mariners selected Bradford off of waivers in Jan. 2018, where he would play out his last two seasons — making 58 more appearances. During three MLB seasons, he recorded a perfect 7-0 record, had 1 save with a 3.89 ERA over 104.0 innings pitched.

Bradford’s pursuit of a pitching career at the Major League level came to an 2022 after spending his remaining time floating through the Mariners and Atlanta Braves organization.