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Scott Olsen Arrested

I was hoping for an easy, peaceful weekend and getting some much needed time off and when I finally booted up my computer, I see this on my startup page.

As you already know, thanks to Maverick reporting it in the Open Thread comments and with HadMatter providing what I presume to be the mug shot.  Scott Olsen was arrested.

Olsen was booked into the Miami-Dade county jail on charges of driving under the influence, resisting an officer with violence and fleeing and eluding a police officer. He was released Saturday afternoon on $11,000 bond.

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Bentolila said Olsen was arrested in the Miami suburb of Aventura, where an officer clocked him driving 48 mph in a 35 mph zone and attempted to pull him over at about 3:40 a.m.

Olsen continued to drive about one mile, running a stop sign before stopping at his Aventura home, Bentolila said.

The pitcher got out of his car and sat down on a plastic chair in front of his home. When backup officers arrived and tried to arrest him, Bentolila said Olsen kicked at the officers, who used a stun gun on the 6-foot-5 pitcher.

Olsen then failed a field sobriety test and refused an alcohol breath test, Bentolila said. A booking photo showed Olsen had two scrapes on his forehead over his right eye.

I'm no expert, and I never want to be, but trying to perform the calisthenics required to do a field sobriety test after being tasered, could be quite difficult.

The club issued a press release about the incident.

"The Florida Marlins are aware of the charges facing Scott Olsen. As an organization, we take this very seriously and are extremely disappointed. We will let the legal process run its course and will have no further comment."

To make it even more interesting Dontrelle was following him, presumably, to make sure he got home.

When Olsen was spotted by police, he was being followed by another car driven by Dontrelle Willis, a marquee Marlins pitcher, Bentolila said.

Police spoke with Willis outside Olsen's home. No charges were filed against him.

''He was not part of this,'' Bentolila said. ``He did not interfere with us. He was nothing but a gentleman.''

But when asked by The Miami Herald whether he was with Olsen early Saturday, Willis said no.

If the police believe Dontrelle, I see no reason to doubt his story.

Some are calling for the club to suspend Olsen while others think he should be traded.

First off, I'm not sure the Marlins can suspend him until his guilt is proven, until then he is considered innocent and if they did so, the players union might have something to say.

As for a trade, there is no way the team would get fair value for Olsen with this case pending.  The only player the Marlins could get for Olsen, at this time, is Elijah Dukes from Tampa Bay and that would be worse.

Charles Elmore brings up an interesting but somewhat flawed analogy.

It is an emergency measure to stop the repeat of a tragedy like the April 29 death of St. Louis pitcher Josh Hancock. The Cardinals player was intoxicated and talking on a cell phone when his Ford Explorer crashed into a truck, killing him instantly. By all accounts, the people who knew Hancock were aware he had problems. No one seemed sure exactly what to do about it.

Olsen's problems haven't been with alcohol per se.  They have been with a lack of control of his emotions which have led to an angry physical response by him.

From all accounts, he is too good of a kid to give up on him now and shipping him away won't help Scott in the least.  Olsen is one of ours, for better or worse, and the club needs to try to help him deal with the problems he has.  What ever that may entail whether it be anger management therapy or some other kind of counseling or therapy.  But as the old saying goes: "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

Present the water, the rest is up to Scott.