Melvin Nieves played in the Major Leagues from 1992 to 1998 with the Braves, Padres, Tigers and Reds.
Melvin Nieves is 50 years old.
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The 50-year-old man who was arrested Sunday for threatening a Mormon congregation in Isabela is former Major League Baseball player Melvin Nieves.
This was revealed by the former baseball player Benigno Ayala in an interview today with the sports portal The Gondol.
“For years Melvin has had problems because he gets violent and has to be on medication. He has even had violent incidents elsewhere when he has been living outside of Puerto Rico, and was imprisoned for three years until he was released on January 18. He has had times where he has been wandering around,” Ayala said.
According to the report of the authorities, Nieves gained access to the interior of the temple facilities in the Costa Brava Urbanization, threatened to kill the parishioners of the congregation, and ordered them to kneel.
When the Police arrived, the former athlete was defiant, so they used the electronic device to control and arrest him.
As reported, Nieves would be accused of escalation, threat, damage and obstruction of justice.
Due to his strength with the wood, Nieves was considered in the early nineties one of the main Puerto Rican prospects. He was an outfielder and switch hitter.
He played in the Majors with the Atlanta Braves (1992), San Diego Padres (1993-1995), Detroit Tigers (1996,1997) and Cincinnati Reds (1998). His best season was with the Tigers in 1996 in which he hit 24 home runs. He also played in Mexico and Japan.
In the winter ball of Puerto Rico he participated with the Indios de Mayagüez, Criollos de Caguas, Cangrejeros de Santurce and Senadores de San Juan.
Ayala, who for many years worked for the Baseball Assistance Team (BAT) organization, which is dedicated to helping former baseball players facing difficult economic or health situations, added that Nieves’s problems began with the death of a son when he played for the Reds in 1998. That was his last season in the Majors.
Also read: They arrest an individual who threatened to kill parishioners of a church in Isabela
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