Texarkana native, former major league baseball pitcher, indicted for intoxication assault

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A former major league baseball player and Pleasant Grove High School graduate was indicted last month for three counts of intoxication assault by a Cass County, Texas, grand jury.

Phillip Douglas Norton, 40, was a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds during his major league career. Norton played his last game in 2004, according to baseballreference.com. The Texarkana athlete was indicted by a Cass County grand jury Aug. 18 for three counts of intoxication assault stemming from a Nov. 1, 2015, collision.

Norton allegedly hit another car on U.S. Highway 59, injuring the other car’s three occupants, according to a probable cause affidavit. Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers John Prosperie and David Stewart worked the crash.

Proseperie noticed “a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath and that his eyes were blood shot red,” the affidavit states. Prosperie arrested Norton for intoxication assault after he performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

A sample of Norton’s blood was collected and sent to the DPS crime lab for testing. The affidavit alleges Norton’s blood showed a blood alcohol level of .156.

According to the affidavit, all of the other car’s occupants were taken to an area hospital for treatment and that one victim suffered a broken arm while another suffered a broken leg.

If convicted, Norton faces two to 10 years in prison on each of the three counts of intoxication assault. Felony cases in Cass County are assigned to 5th District Judge Bill Miller.

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