Choo’s court date for DUI arrest is delayed

By Paul Hoynes

Cleveland Plain Dealer

OAKLAND, Calif.

Shin-Soo Choo was scheduled to appear in the Mayor’s Court in Sheffield Lake on Thursday, but his attorney requested a continuance. The date of his next court date has not been set.

Choo was arrested on DUI charges Monday morning.

The maximum penalties for a first-time DUI violation include a $1,000 fine, six-month suspension of driver’s license, six points applied to the person’s driver’s license, a three-day mandatory jail sentence or entrance into a intervention program.

Choo was the second Indians player to be arrested on DUI charges this year. Austin Kearns was detained in February in Jessamine County (Ky.). It was reported Wednesday that Kearns’ attorneys have filed a motion to get the charge dismissed.

His attorneys are arguing that Kearns was stopped by an off-duty police officer from Lexington, Ky., making the arrest illegal because he was outside his jurisdiction. A sheriff’s deputy from Jessamine County arrived on the scene later and made the formal arrest.

The case has been continued to May 17.

Days off

Grady Sizemore received a scheduled day off Thursday as he continues to recover from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

“He played five games and now he gets the sixth game off,” said manager Manny Acta. “He’ll play all three games in Anaheim.”

Sizemore is hitting .305 (18 for 59) with nine doubles, four homers and nine RBIs since joining the Indians on April 17. After hitting everything that moved initially, Sizemore has cooled. He’s in a 1-for-14 slide.

Catcher Carlos Santana also didn’t play Thursday. He went the distance in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the A’s, but suffered a cramp in his left hamstring while going from first to third in the third.

“It’s fine,” said Santana. “No problem. It just cramped up.”

Flying solo

Not much has hurt Josh Tomlin in his six starts this season. His 4-1 record and 2.43 ERA in an indication of that.

The one flaw is the seven homers he’s allowed. Colby Lewis of Texas and Luke Hochevar of Kansas City are the only American League pitchers who have allowed more, with 10 each.

Six of the seven homers Tomlin has allowed have come with the bases empty. Of the 17 homers he’s allowed since making his Indians’ debut, 11 have been solos.