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By Alexis Stevens
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For longtime Atlanta Braves fans, it’s all too familiar news. Former Atlanta Braves outfielder Otis Nixon is facing drug charges following a weekend arrest in Cherokee County.
Nixon, 54, had a crack pipe in his pocket and a crack rock in his vehicle when he was stopped on I-575 early Saturday, according to a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office reported obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A 911 caller reported a red Dodge Ram pickup truck driving erratically on I-575 north shortly after midnight and a deputy was dispatched and pulled the truck over, the report states. A state trooper assisted with the traffic stop.
Inside Nixon’s truck, investigators found a small rock substance believed to be crack cocaine, the report states. Nixon also had a crack pipe in his pants’ pockets, deputies said.
“Otis admitted to me that the substance was crack cocaine but it didn’t belong to him,” a deputy wrote in the report. “Otis said the crack cocaine and the pipe belonged to his son.”
During a search of the truck, investigators found an additional crack pipe, more suspected crack rocks and a plastic bag containing suspected cocaine residue in the floor board of the driver’s side, the sheriff’s office said.
Field sobriety tests were conducted on Nixon, who did not appear under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to police. Nixon lives in Gordon County, but told deputies he was taking his female passenger home at the time he was stopped. The woman was not charged.
After being arrested and placed in the backseat of a patrol car, Nixon allegedly handed a deputy another small bag of suspected crack cocaine rocks.
Nixon was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of a drug-related object, according to Lt. Jay Baker with the sheriff’s office. Nixon remained Monday afternoon in the Cherokee County jail, where he was being held on $11,880 bond.
Nixon joined the Braves prior to the 1991 season and helped spark the worst-to-first season. But he was suspended for 60 days after failing a drug test and missed the team’s trip to the World Series.
The following season, Nixon made his now famous catch, leaping high above the outfield wall to rob Pittsburgh’s Andy Van Slyke of a go-ahead home run. “The Catch” preserved a 13-game winning streak for the Braves.
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