Watch: Tiger Woods Had Pills in His Pocket at Time of DUI Arrest, Police Say
Tiger Woods is maintaining his innocence.
Four days after the golfer was arrested for driving under the influence and refusing a drug test following a car crash in Jupiter Island, Fla., he entered a plea of not guilty, according to court records obtained by E! News.
The court docs also confirmed that Tiger, 51, hired attorney Douglas Duncan, who represented him in 2017 after he was charged with his first DUI and reckless driving, as his counsel in the case.
E! News has reached out to Tiger’s attorney for comment but has not yet heard back.
Tiger was arrested on March 27, when his Land Rover caused a rollover crash by clipping a pickup truck and responding deputies from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office discovered two hydrocodone opioid pain pills in his left pant pocket, per an arrest affidavit obtained by E! News.
While no injuries were reported in the accident, Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek told reporters that Tiger “did exemplify signs of impairment,” but noted investigators were not “suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case.”
“Mr. Woods did a breathalyzer test, blew triple zeros, but when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused,” the sheriff said in a March 27 press conference. “There is a Florida statute which he will be charged with for refusing to take that test, but we will never get definitive results as to what he was impaired on at the time of the crash.”
Nearly a decade before, Tiger was arrested in Jupiter, Fla., and charged with reckless driving and DUI, with a toxicology report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office later indicating that he tested positive for hydrocodone, hydromorphone (painkiller known as Dilaudid), alprazolam (Xanax), zolpidem (sleeping pill Ambien) and THC.
Martin County Sheriff’s Office
During his arraignment in August 2017, the Hall of Famer entered a first-time DUI offender program, which allowed him to plead guilty to reckless driving and have his DUI charge waived following DUI education classes, mandatory public service and 12 months of probation.
“I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Tiger shared in a May 2017 statement after his arrest. “I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn’t realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly.”
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He later confirmed that he was undergoing treatment.
“I’m currently receiving professional help to manage my medications and the ways that I deal with back pain and a sleep disorder,” he wrote on Twitter (now X) in June 2017. “I want to thank everyone for the amazing outpouring of support and understanding especially the fans and players on tour.”
For a look back at Tiger throughout his career, keep reading…
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