Wander Franco released under supervision after gun arrest in Dominican Republic
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been granted supervised release after being arrested and charged for illegally carrying a gun in his vehicle during an altercation in a parking lot in the Dominican Republic
SAN JUAN DE LA MAGUANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — Wander Franco, the Tampa Bay Rays shortstop who awaits trial in a sexual abuse case, was granted supervised release Wednesday after being arrested and charged for illegally carrying a gun in his vehicle during an altercation in a parking lot in the Dominican Republic.
Dominican judge Viamerca Ruiz said Franco needs to report to court once a month while he is being investigated for carrying the firearm that was registered under his uncle’s name.
Franco, 23, was arrested Sunday after an argument broke out in a San Juan de la Maguana apartment complex parking lot. Another man and a woman also were detained in the confrontation. Two firearms were seized, police said.
“The gun has a license. … so there’s nothing illegal about it,” said Antonio Garcia Lorenzo, one of Franco’s lawyers. “We are asking for his release, pure and simple as that. They have already investigated the weapon, and it is not his, it has its owner.”
