Former Braves outfielder Otis Nixon has been indicted on drug charges, according to Cherokee County court records.
Nixon, 54, was arrested in May when he was found with a crack pipe in his pocket and crack cocaine in his vehicle during a traffic stop.
Shortly after midnight May 5, a 911 caller reported a red Dodge Ram pickup truck driving erratically on I-575 north in Cherokee County. A deputy was dispatched and pulled the truck over and a state trooper assisted with the traffic stop, according to a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office report.
“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. From the back of a patrol car, Nixon allegedly handed a deputy another bag of cocaine.
Nixon was arrested and charged with possession of cocaine and possession of a drug-related object, according to Lt. Jay Baker with the sheriff’s office. Nixon was released days later after posting $11,880 bond.
A Cherokee County grand jury handed down the indictment Aug. 13, records show.
During his 17-year career in major league baseball, Nixon’s drug problems were often highly publicized. 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. What became known as “The Catch” preserved a 13-game winning streak for the Braves.
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