Golfing superstar Tiger Woods was arrested for a DUI, but wasn’t drunk at all!
Being a sports celebrity can have enormous benefits. Thousands of adoring fans, tons of cash to support a lavish lifestyle, knowing that your name alone will open doors and grease wheels where others would miss out. But there are downsides to fame as well, and the first one that comes to mind is negative publicity. When an ordinary citizen does something unwise or makes a mistake, the whole world doesn’t tune in to watch what happens next. Not so for famous people.
When Tiger Woods, the world renowned golfing superstar, was arrested for Operating Under The Influence, millions of people were interested. However, what influence he was under remains to be seen. Woods repeatedly denied having consumed any alcohol when asked by police during the roadside stop. He submitted to two breath tests, both of which registered 0.000. He was also required to submit to a urine test, which was negative for alcohol. So what had he taken?
The incident began when police found Woods asleep in his Mercedes Benz, which was parked at an angle in the cyclist lane near his home in Jupiter, Florida. Officers say that his car was running, the brake lights were on, and the right blinker was on. They also noted that there were signs of fresh damage to the driver’s side bumper, scrapes on the rear bumper, and the rear tail light on the passenger side was broken. His rear tires were also both flat.
Officers at the scene woke him up, and said that throughout the interaction he was compliant but very confused. Dash cam recordings of the interactions show Woods slurring his speech, struggling to walk without stumbling, and acting as if he had no idea what was going on.
During the roadside field sobriety test, a police officer tried to get Woods to follow a light with his eyes, but Woods allegedly couldn’t do it, though he claimed he was. This is the commonly used nystagmus test. They also asked him to recite the alphabet from A to Z, but Woods started wandering away and asked them what they were doing.
He was eventually arrested and charged with drunk driving and improper parking.
The one thing Woods did admit to taking when officers asked him about drugs and alcohol, was prescription medication. Woods has undergone a number of back surgeries over the years, and in a statement he released after his arrest, said that he had suffered from “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications” He went on to explain that he had taken several legal prescription medications before driving, but hadn’t realized how they would interact.
Woods also stated that at the time, he hadn’t realized the mixture of prescription medications “had affected me so strongly.” He also made no effort to minimize his role in the incident, saying that he understood the severity of what he had done, and that he took full responsibility for his actions.
Woods was released a few hours after his arrest on his own recognisance, and without being required to post bail. His first court appearance is scheduled for July 5th. As of now, we have no other information about this situation, and are choosing not to speculate about possible outcomes. However, we will continue to watch this case and keep you updated as it develops.
Until then, if you or a loved one have been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication, call us immediately at 866-766-5245. The skilled drunk driving defense attorneys at The Kronzek Firm have decades of experience helping the people of Michigan to fight DUI charges. We have helped hundreds of people over the years, and we can help you too.
