Jays Rookie Jailed for Carrying Gun

Kevin Batiste of the Toronto Blue Jays, arrested at Oakland International Airport on Saturday and charged with carrying a loaded handgun in his checked luggage, has admitted that he carried the weapon in his bags through Canadian and U.S. airports.

The 22-year-old Batiste said he had the gun with him when he flew into Toronto from Knoxville, Tenn., on June 9, the day he joined the Jays from their farm team.

Transport Canada spokesman Rene Mercier said, “If the gun is in the cargo (area), then no one has access to it. That is not my problem. If someone had boarded the plane with a loaded gun, then we’d have to look into it.”

Batiste said the gun had been given to him by a “good friend” in his hometown of Galveston, Tex.

“I was kind of using it for protection. You know, just in case. You never know what’s going on these days, especially where I come from in Texas.”

Batiste spent 12 hours in Oakland city jail before Jays traveling secretary John Brioux paid his bail of $13,000 about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

He faces three possession charges--loaded weapon, concealed weapon and stolen property--and a trial date will be set when he appears in Oakland Municipal Court on Tuesday.