Ever see a livelier pair of eyes? This guy’s a prospect.
Florida – from www.orlandosentinel.com – The Atlanta Braves indefinitely suspended pitcher Deunte Heath on Friday after police arrested him in Kissimmee in a Craigslist prostitution sting.
Braves spokesman Brad Hainje said officials Friday sent 24-year-old minor-league pitcher Heath back home to Decatur, Ga.
Heath was in Central Florida with the rest of his team for Braves spring training headquartered at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Hainje said Braves officials will not comment further on the arrest, stating they are “continuing to gather information regarding the charges against him in Osceola County.”
Kissimmee investigators on Thursday accused the professional athlete of agreeing to pay $75 for “a sex act” with a prostitute, police spokeswoman Stacie Miller said.
[The Atlanta Journal Constitution adds that Heath was arrested at an area apartment and charged with “assignation to commit prostitution and entering a dwelling to commit prostitution.”]
Heath faces charges of soliciting a prostitute and entering a dwelling for prostitution, jail records show.
The player bailed out of the Osceola County Jail Friday after posting a $2,000 bond.
Heath played college baseball at the University of Tennessee and was the Braves’ 19th-round pick in the 2006 amateur draft. He played in 32 minor-league games last year, seven with the Class AAA Gwinnett Braves and 25 with the Class AA the Mississippi Braves.
Police said detectives set up the sting by posting classified ads on the Craigslist and Backpage websites. The men and women arrived Wednesday and Thursday to a townhouse in Kissimmee and agents quickly arrested them.
The suspects include Constanza Ortega, 51, of Pembroke Pines; Benito Molintas Jr., 33, of Lakeland; Paola Londano, 24, of Orlando; Ronald Gonzalez, 33, of Orlando; Luisa A. Pulla, 25, of Miami; Charnique Devine, 22, of Orlando; and Simone Howard, 18, of Orlando.
Verna How, 25, also faces drug-related charges, reports show.
Miller said more arrests made during the sting are pending.