STUART, Fla. — Tiger Woods has reached a deal that will avoid jail time, ending his court case following a March DUI arrest.The DUI charge was reduced to a reckless driving charge, second offense. The other charge — refusal to submit to a lawful urinalysis test — was also reduced. Both carried five-year suspended sentences for his driver’s license, which will be served concurrently. Breaking these terms carries the penalty of jail.Woods pleaded no contest to both charges. The two charges also carry fines of $1,000 and $500, both of which his attorney, Douglas Duncan, told the court he would pay today.Woods walked into the Martin County courthouse shortly after 8 a.m. ET, with his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, at his side. He left immediately after the hearing without taking questions from reporters.The case stems from a March 27 crash in which Woods, 50, clipped a pickup truck with his vehicle, causing his car to roll over. Neither Woods nor the driver of the truck reported injuries from the crash. Woods told police that he looked down at his cellphone and was changing the radio station when the crash occurred. He was arrested after he failed a sobriety test.
While the breathalyzer test showed no traces of alcohol, Woods refused to take a urine test and, according to officers, admitted to taking “a few pills.” Two hydrocodone pills were later found in Woods’ pocket, according to an arrest affidavit released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office and reviewed by The Athletic. Officers described Woods as “lethargic.”Tiger Woods enters courthouse before hearingSergio GonzalezThomas Bakkedahl, state attorney for the 19th Judicial District, said that there was “a significant erosion” of evidence in the case that led to the decision to reach a pre-trial agreement. Toxicologists hired by both Duncan and the state of Florida independently determined that Woods’ use of painkillers related to his long history of injuries created a pharmacological tolerance. Bakkedahl’s office was also able to use medical records to prove that Woods had been taking hydrocodone pills as prescribed.“If he has a tolerance, then guess what? It doesn’t impair him. And if he’s not impaired, guess what? I can’t prove DUI. And if I can’t prove DUI, guess what? I better come up with another plan,” Bakkedahl said.That led both parties to the plea deal.“If I can send any message to Mr. Woods, it’s simply this: of all the people in the world who should not get behind the wheel of a car, it’s the gentleman who is one of the most recognizable faces on the planet. Somebody will see him, whether it’s in Georgia or Nevada or New York or where have you. He’s not to drive a car,” Bakkedahl said.Duncan pleaded not guilty to both charges on the golfer’s behalf March 31 and demanded a jury trial. On the same day, Woods announced that he was “stepping away” for an undisclosed period of time to “seek treatment.” He was allowed to leave the country, spending weeks at a rehab facility in Switzerland.Duncan was also Woods’ attorney for a 2017 DUI charge in which Woods completed a DUI diversion program after pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge. He was placed on probation and served 50 hours of community service.Woods has been seen only intermittently since his return, most notably appearing briefly at a June PGA Tour news conference to announce a new schedule. He did not take questions then. He also filmed a video last week for friend and former Stanford teammate Notah Begay, who received the Payne Stewart Award during the Tour Championship in Atlanta.
