Baltimore Orioles right-hander Sidney Ponson, who was honored with knighthood last year in his native Aruba, was detained by police there following an incident in which Ponson allegedly assaulted a judge at a beach on Christmas.
Ponson, 28, has not been formally charged but is expected to be arraigned today on assault and battery charges, police spokesman Edwin Comenencia told the Associated Press.
Sidney Ponson is a native of Aruba who was made a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Royal House last year.
(Joel Richardson -- The Washington Post)
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Calls to Orioles vice presidents Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan yesterday evening were not returned, and team spokesman Bill Stetka refused to address it.
"We have no comment," said Orioles spokesman Bill Stetka. "It's a legal matter."
Barry Praver, Ponson's agent, did not respond to telephone messages.
According to police, several people confronted Ponson on Saturday at a beach in Boca Catalina, on Aruba's west coast, alleging he was harassing them with his personal watercraft and operating it recklessly.
Police said Ponson struck one of the men in the group several times, and later fled the scene. Police detained him late Saturday night, and he is being held in a jail in nearby San Nicolas.
According to Comenencia, the man Ponson allegedly struck was identified as a local judge whose last name is Noordhuizen. The judge was hospitalized, but his condition was not known.
Ponson, the most successful of three Arubans to play in the major leagues, was decorated in 2003 as a Knight in the Order of the Dutch Royal House. He typically splits his offseason between Aruba and the United States, where he has residences in Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Ponson has spent all but three months of his seven-year career with the Orioles, going 11-15 with a 5.30 ERA in 33 starts for the team in 2004, the first year of a three-year, $22.5 million contract.
Team officials have clashed with Ponson in the past about his weight, conditioning and off-field habits, and in June, Orioles owner Peter Angelos, upset at Ponson's poor first-half performance, investigated the feasibility of voiding Ponson's contract, according to team sources.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
