Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett was charged yesterday with dragging a woman into a steakhouse bathroom and groping her – an attack she said could have turned to rape if her friend hadn’t saved her.
The former star centerfielder, who played 12 seasons for the Minnesota Twins, was charged with false imprisonment and criminal sexual conduct after the Sept. 6 assault.
He is expected to turn himself into authorities on Monday, Hennepin County District Attorney Amy Klobuchar said.
Puckett, once dubbed the “nice guy of baseball,” allegedly grabbed the woman while she was waiting in line for the ladies room in the Redstone American Grill in Eden Prairie, Minn., 5 miles from Puckett’s Minneapolis home, according to police. When she tried to cling onto a door frame, Kirby overpowered her, dragged her into a men’s room stall and put his hand on one of her breasts, leaving her with bruises, said the report.
The 34-year-old woman told a 911 dispatcher she’d only been saved from the terrifying attack by her girlfriend – who yelled into the men’s room.
A witness standing outside the men’s room in the busy restaurant – known for its after-dinner disco – said he saw the woman being dragged inside the bathroom by a stocky African-American man with a bald head.
If convicted, Puckett – who helped the Twins win the World Series in 1987 and 1991 and is now vice president of the club – faces workhouse time and probation, Klobuchar told The Post.
“Like most Minnesotans, I remember watching Mr. Puckett help the Twins win two World Series, and he’s a great Hall of Fame baseball player. But that night, in the bar, he was no one’s hero,” Klobuchar said.
Chris Madel, one of the ballplayer’s lawyers, said: “The only reason Kirby Puckett was charged today is because he is a famous person. We will beat these allegations in court.”
Klobuchar denied that Puckett is being treated differently. The Twins did not return calls.
Puckett, 41, has been dogged by controversy since his career was cut short by glaucoma in 1995.
In January, Puckett’s wife filed for divorce, claiming he had threatened to kill her during an argument about his infidelities.
Tonya Puckett told police the superstar had also tired to choke her with a clock electrical cord, wielded a pistol in her face, locked her in a basement and used a power saw to cut through a door in their home during their marriage, according to police reports.
The divorce was followed by two more legal filings – one a protection order filed against Tonya by a woman who allegedly had an affair with Puckett.
The other was a protection order against Puckett by Laura Nygren, who allegedly had an 18-year relationship with him.
According to Nygren, the Twins had also secretly settled with a former employee who accused Puckett of sexual harassment.