Tiger Woods pleads no contest in reckless driving case, receives 5-year license suspension
TheGrio...
The 15-time major champion accepted a reduced reckless-driving charge in the case stemming from his March rollover crash.
Tiger Woods has pleaded no contest to reckless driving in the Florida case stemming from his March rollover crash, with a judge suspending his driver’s license for five years. The Tiger Woods plea deal follows TheGrio’s coverage of his March arrest and comes nearly a decade after a separate 2017 DUI case that also ended with a reckless-driving plea.
The Associated Press reported that Woods, 50, appeared in Martin County court Wednesday and accepted the reduced charge after initially pleading not guilty to driving under the influence. He also pleaded no contest to refusing testing and was fined $1,500. A no-contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but it is treated as a conviction in the criminal justice system.
Judge Darren Steele warned Woods that the five-year suspension has no exceptions and that driving during it could send him back to jail. Woods left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.
Woods was arrested March 27 after his SUV clipped a truck and rolled onto its side on a residential road near his Jupiter Island home. Neither Woods nor the person in the other vehicle was injured.
Deputies said Woods showed signs of impairment after the crash. A Breathalyzer test found no alcohol in his system, but he refused a urine test. Two pills found in his pocket were identified as hydrocodone, and pharmacy records later showed he had a lawful prescription.
Prosecutors said two toxicologists found insufficient evidence to prove impairment and concluded Woods had developed a pharmacological tolerance after years of using pain medication. State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl defended the reduced plea, saying he believed it was the appropriate resolution based on the evidence.
The 15-time major champion has not returned to tournament golf since the March crash. He made his first public appearance after treatment in June when he introduced plans for changes to the PGA Tour schedule beginning in 2028 as Woods remains chair of the PGA Tour’s Future Competition Committee.