Tiger Woods’ DUI charge reduced in plea deal after ‘deterioration of proof,’ prosecutor says. But he can’t drive for 5 years | CNN

Stuart, Florida —

Tiger Woods entered a Florida courtroom Wednesday charged with driving under the influence and left with a plea deal after prosecutors described an “erosion of evidence” in the latest legal case involving the golf legend.

Woods, 50, initially pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of DUI and refusal to submit to testing after a March rollover crash in Martin County, not far from his home.

But as the investigation progressed, the local prosecutors’ office found no evidence of impairment to warrant prosecution for DUI, State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said shortly after Woods’ change-of-plea hearing.

So, Woods and the state reached a plea deal, with Woods pleading no contest to a reduced charge of willful reckless driving. A no contest plea is “effectively the same thing” as a guilty plea, Bakkedahl said. However, a no contest plea generally can’t be used against a defendant in a civil case.