Kevin Mitchell Attacks His Father

Kevin Mitchell, the 1989 National League most valuable player, was arrested Tuesday for allegedly battering his father in a dispute over rent. Mitchell, 37, was booked into county jail on a charge of attacking Earl Mitchell, 56, at a home owned jointly by Kevin Mitchell and his grandmother.

Mitchell offered no resistance when taken into custody, according to police spokesman Bill Robinson.

Mitchell, a San Diego native who now lives in Las Vegas, played 15 seasons with several major league teams and part of one season in Japan.

He either slapped or punched his father during an argument over rent that Mitchell claimed he was owed, according to Robinson. Earl Mitchell suffered a one-inch cut on his head.

In 1991, Mitchell was arrested for allegedly raping a woman in Chula Vista, but the case was dropped when the woman refused to press charges. The woman, who had a child by Mitchell, later sued Mitchell for battery and emotional distress but a jury rejected her suit.

In 1989 a woman in Foster City, Calif., alleged that Mitchell beat her and threatened her with a gun. In that case, Mitchell agreed to enroll in a domestic-violence program and undergo counseling.