Dwight Gooden Gets Five Years Probation in Bergen County DUI Crash

Former New York Yankees and Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden received five years probation for driving under the influence after pleading guilty in a Hackensack court Friday, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

The charges originate from a Franklin Lakes traffic accident in March of last year, when, according to Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli, Gooden was driving under the influence of cocaine on Old Mill Road and collided with another vehicle.

The accident resulted in no injuries, but Gooden's 5-year-old son was riding in the back seat of the car without a seat belt.

Gooden, 46, who helped the Mets win the World Series in 1986, could have faced three years in prison, according to the Record.

Superior Court Judge Donald Venezia hit Gooden with a $1,500 fine and suspended his license for seven months, the paper reported.

If Gooden violates the terms of his parole he could face up to 10 years in prison.

The pitcher's history of cocaine abuse has tarnished his image since the late 1980s, when he spent two months of the baseball season in a drug rehab facility.

Gooden, who currently resides in Old Tappan, will continue to receive treatment in Paramus at the Evergreen Substance Abuse Treatment Center at Bergen Regional Medical Center, according to the Record.