Wednesday, September 03, 2008
3 Avs arraigned; details sketchy
Players scheduled to face trial Dec. 2 in Salem.
Three Salem Avalanche players remained out on $1,000 bond after their arraignments on misdemeanor charges in Salem General District Court on Tuesday morning.
Koby Clemens, Mark Ori and Jimmy Goethals were arrested early Sunday after several players spent Saturday night at Mac and Bob's Restaurant in Salem.
Details of the events that led to the arrests remain unclear. Salem Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Bowers said Tuesday morning that he had not yet reviewed police reports in the case.
Salem police have said officers were called because of a disturbance in the restaurant's parking lot. They arrived to find about 50 people gathered in the lot. Clemens, son of Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, and Ori were charged at the scene with disorderly conduct.
Backup catcher Jimmy Goethels was charged with assault and battery after Mac and Bob's bartender Jordan Parkinson filed a criminal complaint against him at the Roanoke County/Salem magistrate's office.
Parkinson wrote that when she came outside at closing time, a number of people seemed to be yelling in the parking lot. A man was shouting at one of Parkinson's co-workers. When Parkinson told the man to leave, "he then pushed me and yelled at me," the bartender wrote.
All three players are scheduled to face trial Dec. 2 in Salem General District Court.
"We'll let the judicial system take its course," Houston Astros farm director Ricky Bennett said. "We'll get more information before we decide the ultimate outcome."
The Astros ended their six-season affiliation with the Avalanche following Monday's regular-season ending loss at Lynchburg.
Katrina Waugh contributed to this story.





