Ex-Yankee John Wetteland sexually abused boy between ages 4 and 6: officials
Yankee great John Wetteland, who was MVP of the 1996 World Series as the team’s closer, was arrested this week on charges he sexually abused a male relative, officials said.
The 52-year-old abused the boy from October 2004 to October 2006 — when he was between the ages of 4 and 6, according to his arrest affidavit.
He posted $25,000 bond and was released Monday just hours after being taken into custody.
Wetteland — who also played for the Rangers from 1997 to 2000 after a two-year stint with the Yanks — was living in Texas at the time of the alleged abuse.
The victim claims to have been assaulted by Wetteland when he would return home from work trips.
“[The victim] stated that his [attacker] was gone most of the year for work responsibilities and would return for about a month at a time,” the affidavit states.
Wetteland is accused of forcing the boy to perform a sex act on him “on three separate occasions between the years of 2004-2006. Each of these three acts occurred while they were in the master bathroom shower located at [his] residence.”
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John Wetteland
Former Yankees closer John Wetteland arrested on child sex abuse charges
Wetteland, a born-again Christian, was living in Bartonville at the time and serving on the board of directors for the Calvary Chapel church in Katy.
“He volunteered to do it,” church leader Mark Martinez told The Post.
Over the years, Wetteland has worked at Liberty Christian School in Texas as the school’s baseball coach and also taught Bible studies. He divorced from his wife, Michele, in 2015 and the pair had four children together.
Wetteland had made a name for himself in the mid-1990s as a dominant closer, who saved a record four games during the Yankees’ World Series win against the Braves in 1996.
It was the team’s first title in 18 years, and his performance earned Wetteland World Series MVP honors.
The iconic image of that championship was Wetteland in the arms of catcher Joe Girardi with a fist raised in the air as the Yankee Stadium crowd exploded with joy.
Wetteland went on to play for the Rangers the following year.
His setup man, rookie Mariano Rivera, moved into the Yankees closer’s role after Wetteland’s departure and went on to a Hall of Fame career.
Wetteland recorded 330 saves over the course of his 12-season career, which also included stints with the Dodgers and Expos.
The California native struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his youth but was still able to land in the minors in 1986. According to Yankees analyst and journalist Jack Curry, he almost died twice — when he was just 17.
“Once he nearly overdosed on a combination of drugs, including LSD, at a Grateful Dead concert,” wrote Curry in a 1995 profile on Wetteland for the New York Times. “Another time, Wetteland was in the front seat when a drunken friend rammed his car into a telephone pole. Something happened. He trudged on. He kept playing baseball and guitar. He kept walking crooked.”
According to his then wife, Michele, “it was difficult for him to forgive his parents for some things he had to go through as a kid.”
“He wishes they would have protected him from some of the things he experienced,” Michele explained in the 1995 article.
“He was really wild and really out there at one time and it was so opposed to my beliefs as a Christian,” she said, noting how “it really is two different persons with John.”
“God’s word says the old man is cast off. John’s old man has been cast off. If you asked me if I sit here in awe of John and how obedient he has been to God’s word, I’d tell you that I do.”
https://nypost.com/2019/01/15/ex-yankee-john-...officials/
Yankee great John Wetteland, who was MVP of the 1996 World Series as the team’s closer, was arrested this week on charges he sexually abused a male relative, officials said.
The 52-year-old abused the boy from October 2004 to October 2006 — when he was between the ages of 4 and 6, according to his arrest affidavit.
He posted $25,000 bond and was released Monday just hours after being taken into custody.
Wetteland — who also played for the Rangers from 1997 to 2000 after a two-year stint with the Yanks — was living in Texas at the time of the alleged abuse.
The victim claims to have been assaulted by Wetteland when he would return home from work trips.
“[The victim] stated that his [attacker] was gone most of the year for work responsibilities and would return for about a month at a time,” the affidavit states.
Wetteland is accused of forcing the boy to perform a sex act on him “on three separate occasions between the years of 2004-2006. Each of these three acts occurred while they were in the master bathroom shower located at [his] residence.”
see also
John Wetteland
Former Yankees closer John Wetteland arrested on child sex abuse charges
Wetteland, a born-again Christian, was living in Bartonville at the time and serving on the board of directors for the Calvary Chapel church in Katy.
“He volunteered to do it,” church leader Mark Martinez told The Post.
Over the years, Wetteland has worked at Liberty Christian School in Texas as the school’s baseball coach and also taught Bible studies. He divorced from his wife, Michele, in 2015 and the pair had four children together.
Wetteland had made a name for himself in the mid-1990s as a dominant closer, who saved a record four games during the Yankees’ World Series win against the Braves in 1996.
It was the team’s first title in 18 years, and his performance earned Wetteland World Series MVP honors.
The iconic image of that championship was Wetteland in the arms of catcher Joe Girardi with a fist raised in the air as the Yankee Stadium crowd exploded with joy.
Wetteland went on to play for the Rangers the following year.
His setup man, rookie Mariano Rivera, moved into the Yankees closer’s role after Wetteland’s departure and went on to a Hall of Fame career.
Wetteland recorded 330 saves over the course of his 12-season career, which also included stints with the Dodgers and Expos.
The California native struggled with drugs and alcohol throughout his youth but was still able to land in the minors in 1986. According to Yankees analyst and journalist Jack Curry, he almost died twice — when he was just 17.
“Once he nearly overdosed on a combination of drugs, including LSD, at a Grateful Dead concert,” wrote Curry in a 1995 profile on Wetteland for the New York Times. “Another time, Wetteland was in the front seat when a drunken friend rammed his car into a telephone pole. Something happened. He trudged on. He kept playing baseball and guitar. He kept walking crooked.”
According to his then wife, Michele, “it was difficult for him to forgive his parents for some things he had to go through as a kid.”
“He wishes they would have protected him from some of the things he experienced,” Michele explained in the 1995 article.
“He was really wild and really out there at one time and it was so opposed to my beliefs as a Christian,” she said, noting how “it really is two different persons with John.”
“God’s word says the old man is cast off. John’s old man has been cast off. If you asked me if I sit here in awe of John and how obedient he has been to God’s word, I’d tell you that I do.”
https://nypost.com/2019/01/15/ex-yankee-john-...officials/
