Puckett's accuser testifies as trial opens

From Sports Illustrated Chuck Solomon Rise and Fall of Kirby Puckett Baseball fans across the country were shocked last year when Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett, one of the game’s most beloved figures, was charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a suburban Minneapolis restaurant. But that incident was merely the latest in a pattern of alleged sexual indiscretions and violent acts by Puckett, according to SI.com's Frank Deford. • Click here for more. • Deford: Puckett fooled 'em all • Rushin: Betrayal of trust

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The woman accusing Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett of sexual assault testified Thursday that she was terrified and tried to escape when he dragged her into a restaurant bathroom.

The woman was the first witness called by prosecutors as the trial opened for a former player who was once one of baseball's most popular figures.

Pausing several times and fighting back tears, she described an attack that began with Puckett grabbing her arm last September at about 12:30 a.m., tugging her toward the men's room.

"He's pulling me, and I'm afraid," she testified. "I tried to drag my feet." At the bathroom door, she said, she tried to hook her ankle around the doorway but Puckett forced her inside.

Puckett was in the courtroom as the trial began, and his lawyer presented a different version in his opening statement. He said the former Minnesota Twins star was only trying to escort the woman to the men's room because the women's bathroom was full.

The woman, a 34-year-old loan officer from suburban Bloomington, changed her mind and left after seeing other men in the bathroom, defense lawyer Todd Jones said.

Puckett, whose playing career was cut short by blindness in one eye, is accused of attacking the woman at the Redstone American Grill in suburban Eden Prairie on Sept. 6.

He's charged with false imprisonment, a felony, and two misdemeanors. Prosecutors say they'll seek no more than a year in jail if he's convicted on all counts.

The woman said she was able to break away when Puckett was startled by her friend screaming for her from the bathroom doorway.

She said she reported the attack to the restaurant's management, and eventually pointed out her attacker. She said she didn't know it was Puckett. She dialed 911 when management told her to call police, she said.

Puckett was a sports icon in Minnesota until reports about the ugly breakup of his marriage, followed by the criminal charges.

 

Related information

Stories

Puckett goes on trial for assault charge

Stats

All-Time Stats: Kirby Puckett

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video