Nationals GM Bowden Arrested For DUI in Miami

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Bowden Arrested For DUI in Miami
Nationals GM Will Plead Not Guilty

By Barry Svrluga
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 19, 2006; E10



PHILADELPHIA, April 18 -- Washington Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol early Monday morning in Miami's South Beach district, an incident that comes at an inopportune time -- with the club about to be sold and Bowden's future in Major League Baseball hanging in the balance.

Bowden, 44, said in a statement released by the club Monday that he would plead not guilty to the charge. He did not return phone and e-mail messages and was not scheduled to be with the team for its three-game series in Philadelphia, which began Tuesday night.

"I deeply regret any embarrassment that my arrest may cause the Washington Nationals and Major League Baseball," Bowden said in the statement.

Nationals President Tony Tavares said Bowden called to tell him of the arrest on Monday night, a day after the Nationals completed a three-game series with the Florida Marlins. Tavares, though, didn't pick up the call, and didn't receive the voice mail until Tuesday morning. The two talked about the incident then, and even high-ranking club officials didn't know of Bowden's arrest until the club put out a news release.

"I don't know much, just what Jim's told me, which is that he was arrested for DUI and he's pleading not guilty," Tavares said by phone Monday. Tavares, who also released a statement, called the incident "regrettable" but said he would not suspend Bowden or limit his duties until the case works its way through the legal system.

"There are charges filed every day in which people turn out to be not guilty," Tavares said. "I'm certainly not going to do anything that presumes guilt or innocence."

Bowden's fiancee, Joy Browning, also was arrested and charged with domestic violence and resisting arrest, according to a Miami Beach police report. Browning, who lives in Los Angeles and works as an actress, was in Miami for the weekend series and was due to fly home early Monday morning.

The couple was originally approached at 2:10 a.m. by an officer who saw them arguing, the report said, but they were let go without incident. However, just 12 minutes later, another officer stopped Bowden, who was driving a 2006 Cadillac, after he allegedly ran a stop sign on Collins Avenue, just one block off Ocean Drive, home to many of South Beach's most popular bars, clubs and restaurants.

Bowden refused to take a breathalyzer test, the report said, an action that, under Florida law, means his license will automatically be suspended in the state. Officers cited the smell of alcohol on Bowden's breath and wrote that he had "bloodshot eyes, glassy eyes, flush red face and slurred speech." He failed a field sobriety test.

They also noticed he had scratches on his cheek and a cut on one ear, and approached Browning, who was seated in the car. An officer attempted to place Browning, 36, under arrest for domestic violence, and when she allegedly refused to get out of the car or put down her cellphone, she also was charged with resisting arrest.

The timing of the incident couldn't be worse for Bowden, whose future will be determined by the club's new owner. Since he was hired in November 2004, less than two months after Major League Baseball moved the Nationals from Montreal to Washington, Bowden has lived on six-month contracts because MLB still owns the franchise and has been in the process of selling it to one of eight groups willing to pay $450 million.

One of the favorites, the family of Bethesda real estate developer Theodore Lerner, was considered the most likely to keep Bowden as the general manager. The announcement of the sale could come late this week, and, as one Nationals executive said, "None of us can think we're safe when the sale happens."

"I would assume he would rather this not have happened at all, regardless of the timing," Tavares said.

Bowden was already known for his bold, often controversial moves that he backs up with comments that are sometimes bolder and more controversial. He helped assemble the team that returned baseball to Washington after a 33-season absence, a group that spent two months leading the National League East before stumbling to last with an 81-81 record.

Manager Frank Robinson said he would address the matter with his team before the first game against the Phillies.

"It's a regrettable incident, and I think the guys will support Jim, like I do, today and in the future on this thing," Robinson said. "But other than that, there's not much to say about it."

News researcher Bobbye Pratt contributed to this report.