Former Philadelphia Phillie and New York Met Lenny "Nails" Dykstra was cleared today of charges that he sexually harassed a 17-year-old female employee at a carwash he owns, locally, in Simi Valley.
Dykstra faced misdemeanor charges of sexual battery and child annoyance after he was arrested Oct. 13 at his carwash. A motion brought by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office to dismiss charges was granted.
"While the district attorney believes that the defendant did engage in the conduct as originally described by the victim, the subsequent investigation revealed additional facts which leads to the conclusion that the charges alleged in the complaint cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt to a jury," the motion read in part. Deputy District Attorney Ryan Wright, who prosecuted the case, said he wouldn't comment further because of the girl's age.
"While we are pleased that the district attorney has seen fit to drop the charges, we're disappointed they were filed in the first place," Dykstra's celebrity attorney, Daniel Petrocelli, said. "The case had no merit from the outset. No incident of harassment occurred, let alone anything that could conceivably justify the filing of a criminal prosecution.
"Based on our investigation and the evidence we marshaled and turned over to the district attorney's office, it was confirmed that the young lady who brought these charges was not honest and not credible. It's not uncommon for high-profile personalities, sports figures, to be a target for unmeritorious charges," Petrocelli said.
On Oct. 13, Dykstra was arrested and taken to a sheriff's station and then released on $5,000 bail. Simi Valley police Sgt. Bob Gardner said then that the alleged incident occurred Oct. 1 at the carwash, where the teenager worked. "She was an employee of Mr. Dykstra's carwash. She came to his carwash facility at a time of day when she knew he was present, when she was not scheduled to work; she was supposed to be in school," Petrocelli said. "She sought him out and engaged him in conversation. The next thing Mr. Dykstra knew, she was alleging sexual harassment against him.
"He is extremely disappointed and dismayed that his name, reputation, as well as his business have been sullied by the filing of these false charges. But at the same time, he is relieved that whatever damage has been done can now stop and hopefully be rectified," Petrocelli said.
Petrocelli said he would review the former outfielder's legal problems but was certain Dykstr wanted to put the matter behind him "without any further damage to his name and reputation." At the time of the arrest, Dykstra spokesman Allan Mayer said the teenager claimed Dykstra touched her outside her clothing. Dykstra retired from baseball due to a back injury.
