Jockey Michael Baze, found dead in car, was facing cocaine charge
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Michael Baze, the 24-year-old Southern California jockey found dead in his vehicle Tuesday at Churchill Downs, had been charged with first-degree possession of cocaine in November and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday, according to court records.
Baze was arrested by Louisville police Nov. 18 in a parking lot near downtown, according to the arrest warrant, after a detective found a small bag of suspected cocaine in Baze’s pants pocket during a search of the jockey’s vehicle.
Louisville police said they were awaiting autopsy results from the Jefferson County coroner before filing a report on Baze’s death.
[Updated at 1:03 p.m.: Preliminary autopsy results found no anatomical cause of death, a Jefferson County deputy coroner said Wednesday. He added that the toxicology reports will take three weeks.]
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.