Former twins baseball star charged with sexual assault

Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett was recently charged with a felony count of false imprisonment and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal sexual conduct, after being accused of dragging a woman into a restaurant bathroom in September and grabbing her breast.

"I just want to tell the fans I'm innocent of these charges," Puckett said as he left the Hennepin County Jail. "Let the process play its course. I know I'm innocent of these charges."

Puckett spent less than a half hour at the jail for a booking procedure and appearance before Hennepin County District Court Judge Gary Larson. The judge said Puckett could remain free on his own recognizance and set Nov. 19 for his next hearing.

According to the criminal complaint, which cited several witnesses, the woman had bruises and her ankle was swollen from hitting a doorframe.

If convicted, the former Minnesota Twins star, who recently reached a tentative divorce settlement with his wife, could be sentenced to the legal maximum of four years in prison and $8,000 in fines. According to County Attorney Amy Klobuchar, Puckett, 41, probably would be put on probation and given less than a year in the county workhouse.

Puckett, an outfielder, retired in 1995 after 12 seasons with the Twins, a team he helped win the World Series in 1987 and 1991. He played in 10 All-Star games during his career, which was cut short by glaucoma. He is blind in his right eye.

Puckett finished with a .318 batting average, the best by a right-handed hitter since Joe DiMaggio, and Puckett's 2,040 hits are the most by any player in his first 10 seasons. He joined the Hall of Fame last year.

Puckett is now an executive vice president of the Twins.