Two arrests, alleged threats in Antley's final months

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) _ A pattern of troubling behavior preceded jockey Chris Antley's violent death, police reports show. <br><br>Antley was arrested twice on drug and alcohol charges, and his pregnant

Thursday, December 7th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) _ A pattern of troubling behavior preceded jockey Chris Antley's violent death, police reports show.

Antley was arrested twice on drug and alcohol charges, and his pregnant wife claimed he threatened her in the months before he was found dead, the reports said.

The two-time Kentucky Derby winner suffered from depression and had problems with drugs and alcohol, which were evident in the reports that Pasadena police released Wednesday at the request of news organizations.

Antley, 34, was found dead in his Pasadena home Saturday with severe head trauma. An autopsy conducted Tuesday was inconclusive, and further tests were expected to take six to eight weeks. Neither police nor the coroner have further explained the type of head trauma.

Cmdr. Mary Schander said police continue to investigate the death as a homicide while awaiting the final autopsy results.

``We need to be sure from the coroner's report that the death would be deemed a homicide,'' Schander said Wednesday. ``If it's not a homicide, we would not pursue the investigation.''

Antley's arrests occurred in July and September, months after he had stopped riding because he had ballooned to 23 pounds over his riding weight of 117 pounds.

Antley was arrested for possession of methamphetamine and marijuana on Sept. 28, when his wife could not reach him on the phone from New Jersey and grew worried. Natalie Antley, who is a feature producer for ABC Sports, lives on the East Coast.

Mrs. Antley, due to give birth to the couple's first child in January, became so concerned that she called Pasadena police and asked them to check up on her husband.

Officers arrived at Antley's home in an upscale neighborhood near the Rose Bowl and found him and a house guest, 24-year-old Timothy W. Tyler Jr. Police also found 1.05 grams of methamphetamine, 3.60 grams of marijuana and equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine, the report said. Both men were arrested.

Antley told police that Tyler had given him the drugs, the report said.

Antley wasn't prosecuted because of an ``inadmissible search and seizure,'' according to the Los Angeles district attorney's office.

Tyler was charged with a misdemeanor related to his probation from another drug case, the report said. Tyler was arrested Sunday on three outstanding drug warrants. Police have said he is not a suspect in Antley's death.

Antley told officers that he met Tyler while trying to obtain marijuana and that he invited Tyler to his home, the report said. However, Antley said Tyler took up residence in the house without his consent, and police found the manufacturing equipment in the room that Tyler had occupied, the report said.

When officers explained they were at the house in response to his concerned wife, Antley replied that he did not want to pick up the phone because ``he was mad at his wife and did not want to deal with her,'' the report said.

Antley's other arrest occurred July 26 after he was stopped in Pasadena for driving under the influence and being an unlicensed driver. His blood-alcohol level twice registered .26 percent, the report said.

Antley told officers that he consumed a ``big bottle of vodka'' when he awoke that day after having slept just three hours the previous night, according to the report.

Police visited Antley's home Oct. 7 in response to a 911 hang-up call. They found Tyler, his girlfriend Elizabeth Carlson, and their baby in the house. Antley was not home at the time.

Carlson said Tyler was doing some work on the house for Antley and was staying there, the report said.

Tyler was quoted in the police report that he had tried to leave Antley's house in the past, but that ``every time he had, Antley had thrown away his tools.''

Carlson told officers that Antley broke drinking glasses and was throwing things the previous night. She said Antley kept telling her that ``he had a gun and would use it,'' according to the report.

While checking Antley's house, officers reported seeing broken glass on the floor in each of the rooms, furniture that was tipped over and ``bizarre drawing on some of the walls.''

Neither Tyler nor Carlson heard Antley make any direct threats to anyone, but each told officers they were concerned by his actions, the report said.

That day, Antley's wife was scheduled to arrive from New Jersey. Antley said he was going to pick his wife up and told Carlson that ``she's gone'' and ``I'm going to do away with her,'' the report said.

Airport police were notified to see if Mrs. Antley was on the flight.