Golf legend Tiger Woods pleaded guilty Wednesday to a DUI charge stemming from a March rollover crash in Florida, accepting a $1,000 fine and a five-year driver’s license suspension.
The plea change came during a hearing in Martin County, Florida, district court. When asked by the judge if he’d had enough time to consult with his attorney before changing his plea, Woods answered “yes.”
The judge emphasized that the license suspension is meant to protect the public and that there will be no exceptions.
Woods, 47, was arrested in the early hours of March 27 after his Land Rover flipped in a residential neighborhood on Jupiter Island. According to the incident report, Woods was speeding and attempted to pass a truck pulling a trailer, clipping the trailer and rolling his SUV. Nobody was injured in the crash, but the truck and trailer sustained about $5,000 in damage.
When deputies arrived, Woods said he was distracted and had looked down at his phone before hitting the trailer. But one deputy described him as “lethargic and slow,” with “bloodshot and glassy” eyes and “extremely dilated” pupils, according to the arrest affidavit.
Woods agreed to a breathalyzer test, which showed no alcohol in his system, but he refused to take a urine test.
The golfer told officers he takes “a few” prescription medications, and two hydrocodone pills were found on him when he was arrested. Hydrocodone, a Schedule II controlled substance typically used to treat severe pain, is among the drugs the FDA warns “could make driving dangerous.”
Bodycam footage captured the moment a deputy told Woods, “So at this time, I do believe your normal faculties are impaired. And you’re under the unknown substance, so at this time, you’re under arrest for DUI.”
Prosecutors later secured a subpoena for Woods’ prescription drug records between Jan. 1 and March 27, focusing on when prescriptions were filled, the type of medication, pill counts, dosages, and special instructions.
Woods initially entered a not guilty plea in Martin County circuit court before changing it this week.
He stepped back from golf after the arrest, saying he was committed “to seek treatment and focus on my health.”
“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally,” Woods said at the time, adding that he appreciated the support and asked for privacy.
Woods’ girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, the ex-wife of Donald Trump Jr., walked with him into the courthouse Wednesday, according to reports.
The 15-time major champion has had a long history of back problems that required multiple surgeries and led him to rely on pain medication. He was also arrested in 2017 on a DUI charge after police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car on the side of the road in Florida. In that case, he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.
More recently, Woods was involved in a serious single-car crash in Los Angeles in 2021 that left him with severe leg injuries.
Wednesday’s plea brings the latest DUI case to a close, though the fallout from the incident may continue to follow the golfer as he works to return to competitive play.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiger-woods-accepts-punishment-after-changing-plea-in-rollover-dui-case