Tiger Woods reportedly faces charges for driving under the influence with property damage and refusing to submit a lawful test after being arrested in Florida on Friday
Tiger Woods has reportedly pleaded not guilty after being arrested following a two-vehicle rollover crash in Florida on Friday. The 15-time major champion faces charges for driving under the influence with property damage and refusing to submit a lawful test.
Woods, 50, rolled his vehicle after attempting to overtake a tow truck on a narrow road left the dark SUV on its side. He reportedly declined to do a urinalysis after blowing a 0.00 on a breathalyser test.
The golfer spent a mandatory eight hours at Martin County Jail. Woods has since been released and returned home.
TMZ first reported that he entered a guilty plea after accessing court records. Lawyer Douglas Duncan will represent him.
These reports come hours after Donald Trump spoke to the New York Post about Woods on Tuesday. The president said he had talked with the golfer, claiming: “I think he’s doing great, he’s doing good.”
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Trump added: “He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he is under a tremendous physical pressure from his various ailments, you know, the back and the leg.
“He lives a life of pain. He has a lot of pain. He’s an amazing guy. He’s an amazing athlete. He does have pain.” The president added: “He doesn’t have an alcohol problem, but he does have pain.”
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said on Friday that they “really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. Mr Woods did a breathalyser test, blew triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused, and so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”
Budensiek explained on Friday: “Just before 2pm today, the Jupiter Island Police Department, which is where we currently are, received a call of a rollover crash about two and a half miles from where we are. The Jupiter Island Police Department responded out there and found a pickup truck pulling a pressure cleaner, and a Land Rover, which was rolled over on the driver’s door.
“The investigation started, and initially, right off the top, it did appear that the driver of the Land Rover might be impaired.
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“And at that point, the Chief of Jupiter Island Police Department called me from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and asked for our assistance. It wasn’t that the Jupiter Island Police Department isn’t fully capable of doing these types of investigations, but quite frankly, the Sheriff’s Office has a lot more repetitions in these traffic crashes and these types of investigations.”
He added: “The individual driving that Land Rover was able to crawl out of the passenger door of the car and was identified to be Mr Tiger Woods. Our DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.
“They did several tests on him – of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had, we did take that into account. But they did do some in-depth roadside tests, and when it was determined, he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County Jail.
Budensiek concluded: “In the crash, no one was injured. Mr Woods did not seem to be injured at all, and the other gentleman was not injured.”
