Tiger Woods reaches plea agreement in South Florida DUI case

STUART, Fla. — Golf great Tiger Woods on Wednesday reached a plea agreement in his DUI case, pleading guilty to a lesser charge after a rollover car accident in March near his South Florida residence.

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Woods, 50, pleaded guilty to willful reckless driving and refusal to submit to a lawful test. He was originally charged with driving under the influence.

Woods appeared before Judge Darren Steele in a Martin County courtroom, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported. According to the newspaper, it is mandatory for defendants to appear in person for a change-of-plea hearing.

Woods was accompanied in court by his attorney, Doug Duncan.

Woods was ordered by Steele to pay a $1,000 fine on the reckless driving charge and his driver’s license was suspended for five years. On the second charge of refusing to submit to a sobriety test, Woods was ordered by Steele to pay a $500 fine and his license was suspended for five years.

Both license suspensions will run concurrently, the judge said.

Woods was originally scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 8 before Wednesday’s hearing was put on the docket, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported.

The 15-time PGA Tour major champion originally entered a written plea of not guilty to a DUI charge, property damage and refusal to submit to a urine test after he was involved in a two-vehicle rollover crash near his residence in Jupiter Island, The Athletic reported. He had been seeking a jury trial in Martin County Circuit Court in Stuart, according to the website.

Woods was arrested on March 27 in South Florida, accused of suspicion of driving under the influence. The incident occurred in southern Martin County shortly after 2 p.m. ET, TC Palm reported.

The accident happened near Woods’ home on Jupiter Island and occurred several days after he made his first tournament appearance in more than a year, WPBF reported. In the TGL finals, Woods’ Jupiter Links GC team lost to the Los Angeles Golf Club in the indoor competition.

In an affidavit released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, deputies stated that they found Woods with two hydrocodone pills in his pants pocket after the crash and had showed “signs of impairment.”

Deputies added that Woods had bloodshot eyes, according to the affidavit.

Woods explained to authorities that he was looking down at his cellphone and changing the radio station on his black Land Rover as he drove north, the affidavit stated.

Deputies said that Woods was following a white Ford F-150 truck that was towing a trailer, WPEC reported. The truck slowed down and the motorist activated a turn signal when Woods crossed over a double solid line to pass, according to the television station.

Woods struck the rear of the trailer and his vehicle rolled over, according to the affidavit.

The impact of the crash caused Woods’ vehicle to flip onto the driver’s side, WPEC reported.

This was Woods’ second DUI-related legal issue in Florida, WPTV reported. In 2017, he was arrested in Palm Beach County on suspicion of DUI and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving as part of a plea deal.

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