Chasen Bradford, a former pitcher for the New York Mets, was taken into custody last week on suspicion of drunk driving, just a day after being sworn in as a probationary officer with the Henderson Police Department in Nevada. Bradford, 34, who had a brief stint as a reliever in Queens, was charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence.
The Henderson Police Department had just celebrated the graduation of 14 new officers from the police academy on March 21. Bradford, however, was arrested the next day. According to a statement from Henderson Chief of Police Hollie Chadwick, one of the newly graduated officers chose to drink and drive on the evening of March 22, leading to their arrest.
Multiple reports citing an arrest report described Bradford’s erratic driving behavior. He was reportedly seen swerving across the road, hitting medians, and driving onto a curve. Bradford was pulled over in his gray Ford pickup truck around 10:23 p.m., where he underwent a series of field sobriety tests.
Initially, Bradford claimed to have consumed only two Coors Light beers. However, he later admitted to drinking five or six beers throughout the day, with his last drink reportedly consumed at 10:15 p.m. During the initial field sobriety tests, Bradford registered a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .104. Subsequent tests at the Henderson Detention Center showed a BAC of .094 and then .098. The legal BAC limit in Nevada is .08.
Bradford, who was hired by the City of Henderson on September 25, 2023, was terminated less than 24 hours after his arrest. Chief Chadwick confirmed that the probationary officer was promptly fired and is no longer a member of the Henderson Police Department.
Bradford, a Las Vegas native, was drafted by the Mets in the 35th round of the 2011 amateur draft. He made his professional debut with the Mets in 2017, making 28 appearances and earning two wins with a 3.74 ERA. In January 2018, Bradford was selected off waivers by the Seattle Mariners, where he played his last two seasons, making 58 more appearances. He ended his Major League Baseball career with a perfect 7-0 record, one save, and a 3.89 ERA over 104.0 innings pitched. Bradford officially retired from the MLB in July 2022.