LAS VEGAS (AP) - The lawyer for a San Francisco Giants pitcher accused of touching a woman’s breast at a Las Vegas hospital earlier this year says his client was ill at the time.
Chad Gaudin (GOH’-din), 30, was arrested Jan. 27 and charged July 3 with open and gross lewdness. The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported (https://bit.ly/11CURlh) Wednesday on the case, which wasn’t publicized back in January.
According to police reports, Gaudin appeared drunk when he approached a 23-year-old woman on a gurney at Desert Springs Hospital, told her she was gorgeous and touched her face and breast.
A paramedic who witnessed the incident told Gaudin to leave the woman alone, but he refused, and security staff held him down until police arrived, the report said.
“I asked Gaudin several times how he ended up at the hospital and each time he told me that he didn’t know,” the officer wrote in the report. “Gaudin appeared to be intoxicated. He had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, trouble standing still, obeying commands, an odor of alcoholic beverages and couldn’t repeat his house number, where he lives, the same way twice in a row.”
Gaudin’s lawyer, Dominic Gentile, issued a statement saying his client denies any wrongdoing and has been cooperating with authorities.
“Chad Gaudin was examined in the emergency room of a local hospital while experiencing symptoms believed to be related to acute renal failure due to a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. The symptoms included confusion, dehydration and loss of orientation and/or consciousness,” Gentile wrote. “Although he has been accused of improperly touching another hospital patient while on the premises that night, there are differing and exonerating versions of what occurred that have been reported by eye witnesses.”
Common causes for rhabdomyolysis include alcohol or drug use, muscle strain, or crush injuries, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Gaudin, who has pitched as a starter and in relief, is 2-1 this year with a 2.44 ERA. He last pitched against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday, when he got a no decision, going seven innings and giving up a run on four hits.
In his career, Gaudin has pitched for San Francisco, Miami, Washington, Oakland, Toronto, Tampa Bay, San Diego, the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. He is a lifetime 42-43 with a 4.46 ERA.
He’s married and has one son, according to his biography on the Giants’ official website.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.