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Russell Branyan arrested for alleged burglary of ex-wife’s home

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
(AP)
(AP)

Former major leaguer Russell Branyan was arrested in Nashville, Tenn. Monday night and charged with for aggravated burglary after allegedly breaking into his ex-wife’s home.

According to Deadspin, Branyan committed the alleged burglary on Oct. 30. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Oct. 31, alleging that he broke into Jill Branyan's home while she was sleeping, stole several items, and then tampered with her thermostat to make the home extremely cold.

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The latter is not a misprint. This is, to say the least, a bizarre set of circumstances. But as you'll read in the following snippet from the arrest warrant, the entire episode was strange including the immediate aftermath.

The defendant made entry into the residence of the victim without having the legal authority. The defendant and victim are divorced and the victim is the legal resident. The defendant entered while the victim was asleep and removed various items from the home. The defendant also tampered with the thermostat inside of the home, making it extremely cold. The defendant acknowledged to the witness that he had removed the items from the residence and now wanted to return them. All events took place in Davidson County Tennessee.

While we're sure the change of heart was appreciated on some level, it's a little too late to make up for his actions. Branyan will be facing aggravated burglary charges, which is a Class C felony in Tennessee and carries a prison sentence of three to five years if convicted.

Obviously, Branyan has a legal mess on his hands here, and his past actions won't help him gain much sympathy.

In 2008, Branyan was arrested in Ohio for allegedly striking his ex-wife in the face during an argument while driving. Branyan pleaded no contest to the domestic violence charge after originally entering a not-guilty plea. He was ordered to participate in one year of a first-offender program, which included counseling.

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On the field, Branyan played for 11 different teams in a 13-year major league career, hitting .232/.329/.485 with 194 home runs and 467 RBIs. His longest tenure was a four-and-a-half year stint with the Cleveland Indians that began his career in 2002. Branyan last played with the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. In between, he also suited up with the Reds, Brewers, Rays, Padres, Phillies, Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners and Diamondbacks.

Branyan is currently free on a $2,500 bond.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!