Guilty plea expected in Tony La Russa DUI case in Arizona

Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesman Scott Davis told the Sun-Times that the expectation is that the White Sox’ manager “will plead guilty to charges of some sort” at a change-of-plea hearing on Dec. 21.

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Tony La Russa throws out the first pitch before the Tigers-White Sox game Aug. 30, 2014.

Tony La Russa throws out the first pitch before the Tigers-White Sox game Aug. 30, 2014.

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A month ago, the White Sox surprised, energized and angered their fan base by hiring Tony La Russa, 76, to be their new manager.

By the end of this month, expectations are that La Russa will enter a guilty plea after a February arrest for allegedly driving under the influence in Arizona — an arrest the Sox say they knew about when he was hired.

By doing so, La Russa may be hoping to move on from some of the drama that has marked the early days of his tenure.

Any notion that the Sox would back out of their offer was laid to rest Tuesday, when they announced a coaching staff that was completed with La Russa’s input. 

La Russa has been busy preparing for the 2021 season and having a say in the hiring of four additions to his staff: pitching coach Ethan Katz, bench coach Miguel Cairo, assistant hitting coach Howie Clark and analytics coordinator Shelley Duncan. Duncan is the son of Dave Duncan, La Russa’s longtime pitching coach.

Joe McEwing moves from bench coach to third-base coach, and Daryl Boston (first base), Frank Menechino (hitting coach) and Curt Hasler (assistant pitching coach) also return.

La Russa has been making calls to players and staff members and is mapping out the Sox’ plan for spring training, an assignment usually given to the bench coach.

A so-called change-of-plea hearing has been set for Dec. 21 in La Russa’s case in Maricopa County. Paperwork obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times shows La Russa’s legal team sought the hearing Nov. 20, and a prosecutor did not object. 

It’s not clear yet exactly what will happen during that hearing — and it could take some time for those details to emerge. But Maricopa County Justice Courts spokesman Scott Davis told the Sun-Times that the expectation is La Russa “will plead guilty to charges of some sort.”

He said it wasn’t clear if La Russa had been offered a plea deal.

A spokeswoman for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said she could not share any information because La Russa’s case remains open. She and a Sox spokesman directed reporters to La Russa’s lawyer, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Because it’s not clear what charge La Russa might be entering a plea to, it’s hard to say what kind of sentence he might face.

But it’s not his first DUI. La Russa pleaded guilty in 2007 to a misdemeanor DUI charge in Jupiter, Florida. 

This time around, a witness called police Feb. 24 to report a vehicle “swerving across all lanes” of a highway in Arizona. The witness said the vehicle had hit a curb and had begun to smoke before coming to a stop, according to public records. An officer found the vehicle, a gray Lexus RX350, and identified the driver as La Russa.

La Russa told the officer he had been “coming from a dinner with my friends with the California Angels baseball team,” had a tire blow out and was calling AAA, records show. But the officer smelled alcohol. And tests allegedly showed La Russa’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.095 — above the legal limit of 0.08.

While speaking with the officer, La Russa allegedly said, “Do you see my ring?” And he complained, “I’m a Hall of Famer baseball person … I’m legit. 

“I’m a Hall of Famer, brother. You’re trying to embarrass me.”

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