Judge sets hearing for Dykstra on auto theft charges

A Los Angeles judge on Monday set a September pretrial hearing for former New York Mets star Lenny Dykstra on grand theft auto charges.

Dykstra, who was brought into court in orange jail garb and handcuffs, also entered a second not guilty plea in the case, which stems from what prosecutors say was a scheme to lease cars using phony business and credit information.

The 48-year-old former World Series hero was charged in June with 25 counts of grand theft auto, attempted grand theft auto, filing false financial statements and possessing a controlled substance.

He faces 12 years in prison if he is convicted.

In July, following a preliminary hearing, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Dykstra to stand trial, along with his accountant, Robert Hymers and friend Christopher Gavanais.

Prosecutors said Dykstra, Hymers and Gavanais ran a scheme to lease high-end automobiles from dealerships using fraudulent information and claiming credit through a phony business, Home Free Systems.

A search of Dykstra's home during the investigation allegedly turned up cocaine, Ecstasy and a synthetic growth hormone.

An unrelated indictment handed down by a federal grand jury in May accuses Dykstra of stealing or destroying some $400,000 in property that was part of his bankruptcy case.

The former ballplayer faces up to 80 years in federal prison if convicted in that case, according to federal prosecutors.

Dykstra, nicknamed "Nails" during his playing days, spent more than a decade in the major leagues, mostly as an outfielder for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies,

He is perhaps best remembered by Mets fans for the 1986 season, when he struck a walk-off game-winning home run in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.

In Game 3 of the 1986 World Series, he hit a key lead-off home run, sparking a comeback by the Mets from a 2-0 series deficit to win the championship over the Boston Red Sox