Tiger Woods pleads not guilty to DUI after saying phone distraction led to rollover crash | Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and requested a jury trial after a rollover near his Florida home, according to court records released Tuesday.
A probable cause affidavit obtained earlier Tuesday by the Guardian said Woods told deputies he was looking at his phone and changing radio stations before the incident.
The 50-year-old golf star was arrested on misdemeanor charges of drunk driving causing property damage and failure to submit to a statutory test Friday afternoon after his Land Rover struck a truck and rolled onto its side near his home on Jupiter Island.
According to the affidavit, Woods told Martin County sheriff’s investigators that he did not notice that the vehicle in front of him had slowed down before the crash.
The affidavit says Woods attempted to pass the vehicle by crossing a double yellow line into oncoming traffic before hitting it with the right front side of his SUV, causing him to lose control and roll over to the driver’s side.
Deputies said Woods was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was unable to exit from the driver’s side due to the rollover, but instead exited through the front passenger side. The driver of the other vehicle, identified as Jeremy Bullard, reported no injuries. The report estimates the incident caused approximately $5,000 in damage to the trailer.
According to the affidavit, a deputy at the scene observed “several signs of impairment” while speaking with Woods, including profuse sweating and slow movement. Another officer noted that Woods’ eyes appeared “bloodshot and glassy” and that his speech and movements were “lethargic and slow.”
Woods told investigators he had not consumed alcohol, but said he had taken “a few” prescription medications earlier in the day, including Vicodin, as well as blood pressure and cholesterol medications.
Officers conducted a series of field sobriety exercises, during which Woods displayed multiple signs of impairment, according to the report. Additionally, Woods said he had seven back surgeries and more than 20 leg surgeries, adding that his ankle could seize up while walking.
Deputies said he had trouble maintaining his balance, did not follow directions and had difficulty performing coordination tasks. Based on these observations, an officer determined that Woods was unable to operate a motor vehicle safely and placed him under arrest at 3:12 p.m.
A search after his arrest found two pills in Woods’ pocket that were later identified as hydrocodone, a prescription opioid, according to the affidavit.
Woods then submitted to a breathalyzer test, which showed no alcohol in his system, but he refused to provide a urine sample to test for drugs. Authorities said he was charged with refusal to submit to testing in addition to DUI with property damage.
He was taken to a local hospital for medical examination before being transported to the Martin County Jail, where he refused medical treatment and was held for the mandatory eight hours under Florida law before being allowed to post $1,150 bail.
Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had spoken with Woods since the incident, noting that the golfer “lives a life of pain” due to his injury history but is “doing very well.” Woods has been in a relationship with Trump’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump, for over a year.
“He tested negative for alcohol, as you know, and he’s under tremendous physical strain because of his various ailments, you know, his back and his leg,” Trump said in a telephone interview with the New York Post. “He lives a life of pain. He’s in a lot of pain. He’s an incredible guy. He’s an incredible athlete. He’s in pain.”
Trump added: “He doesn’t have a drinking problem, but he does have pain. »
Woods, who was scheduled to appear for his arraignment April 23 in Martin County Court, will no longer have to appear in person at that first hearing after his attorney, Douglas Duncan, filed a waiver of arraignment and requested a jury trial.
