Gregory Nash back in custody

GONZALES, La. (AP) - Gregory “Toe” Nash, who had been a promising professional baseball player before arrests derailed his career, is back in jail.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office says the 32-year-old Nash was arrested Friday.

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports (https://bit.ly/1LWGlWV ) Nash was booked with several charges including failure to register as a sex offender, flight from an officer, drug paraphernalia, distribution or possession of a legend drug without a prescription and distribution or possession with intent to distribute schedule I controlled substances. It was unclear if he had an attorney to comment on the charges.

The sheriff’s office had been looking for Nash since at least the beginning of February.

Nash is a registered sex offender, dating back to a 2002 statutory rape conviction for having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

Nash had completed sex offender registration paperwork back in November, but when officers recently went to his address in Donaldsonville they were told he no longer lived there.

Nash, who grew up in Sorrento, was discovered by a Tampa Ray Devils scout who was impressed when he saw him playing Little League, and then found him again while Nash was playing in the small-town Sugar Cane Baseball League. Nash drew comparisons to Babe Ruth for his talent, hitting huge home runs both right-handed and left-handed. He signed with the Devil Rays in 2001 and played a season with their minor league team.

But he was uneducated, and was described as having the social skills of a 13-year-old. Even before he was signed he was arrested several times. He was arrested on the statutory rape charge after his first season, the Devil Rays released him, and more arrests followed. He was last released in Nov. 2013 after a probation violation sent him back to prison for 8 years.

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Information from: The Times-Picayune, https://www.nola.com