Source : the age
Tiger Woods pleaded no contest to a reckless driving charge and his driver’s licence was suspended for five years on Wednesday following a rollover crash in March in Florida, where he initially was accused of driving under the influence (DUI).
Before the hearing in Marin County began, Woods, 50, sat at the defence table looking back at the mostly empty courtroom gallery. He said little as he agreed to the reduced charge.
He arrived at the courthouse with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, US President Donald Trump’s former daughter-in-law, and she sat behind him during the proceedings.
Woods, still one of golf’s most influential figures and as recognisable as any athlete in the world, has had a remarkable fall since winning the 2019 Masters for his 15th major. His career has been derailed by multiple back and knee surgeries, car crashes and dependence on pain medication.
He was arrested in March after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled over on its side on a beachside residential road near his home 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 Breathalyser test, which came out negative, but refused to take a urine test.
He had pleaded not guilty to the original DUI charge.
The prosecutor in the case said two toxicologists found there was insufficient proof of his impairment and determined Woods had built up a “pharmacological” tolerance.
Thomas Bakkedahl, a state attorney, defended his decision to accept the plea, saying, “I did what I think is right.”
Woods left the courthouse without addressing reporters. He also pleaded no contest to refusing to submit to testing after the crash and was fined $US1500 ($2092), according to court documents.
“If you were to drive for any reason at all, you would immediately go back to jail,” Judge Darren Steele told Woods.
Woods’ attorney did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but means the accused will offer no defence. The plea is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system.
Neither Woods nor the person in the other vehicle were injured in the crash, according to officials. But his Land Rover caused $US5000 ($7000) 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 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.
