09/02/26 08:29:00
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09/02 08:27 CDT Tiger Woods pleads no contest to reckless driving charge over
rollover crash in Florida
Tiger Woods pleads no contest to reckless driving charge over rollover crash in
Florida
By DANIEL KOZIN
Associated Press
STUART, Florida (AP) --- Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to a reckless driving
charge Wednesday following a rollover crash in March near his home in Florida
where he initially was accused of driving under the influence.
Woods appeared in a courtroom in Martin County where he agreed to the reduced
charge. A judge ordered that his driver's license be suspended for five years.
Woods, 50, said little during the hearing and beforehand sat at the defense
table, looking back at the courtroom gallery. He arrived at the courthouse with
his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, President Donald Trump's former daughter-in-law.
She sat behind him during the hearing. Woods left the courthouse without
addressing reporters.
He also pleaded no contest to refusing to submit to testing and was fined court
costs, according to court documents.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the accused will
offer no defense. The plea is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice
system.
Woods was arrested after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled over on its side on
a beachside residential road on Jupiter Island. A sheriff's report said
deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment.
He did a Breathalyzer test, which came out negative, but refused to take a
urine test.
He had pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.
Neither Woods nor the person in the other vehicle were injured in the crash,
according to officials. But his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the
truck, according to a police report. Woods had told a deputy that he was
looking down at his phone and changing the radio station when he hit the truck.
Woods is among the most influential figures in golf, but his career has been
derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and dependence on
pain medication.
Woods has been involved in four crashes over the years. He took a leave from
the golf tour after the 2009 crash and again after the latest crash and has yet
to return to tournament play.
He left the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient treatment facility,
according to court records.
Woods made his first public appearance since returning from treatment on June
23 when he introduced the PGA Tour's plans to revamp its schedule for 2028.
Woods remained as chairman of the tour's Future Competition Committee after his
arrest. He did not take questions during that appearance.
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