Tiger Woods loses license for 5 years after reckless driving plea

STUART, FL — Tiger Woods will lose his driver’s license for five years and pay $1,500 in fines in a plea agreement made at a hearing Sept. 2 at the Martin County Courthouse.

Woods was charged with DUI following a crash on Jupiter Island on March 27. He pleaded no contest to the reduced charge of reckless, willful driving, which comes with a five-year license suspension and $1,000 fine. The no-contest means he accepted the punishment without formally admitting guilt.

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His refusal to submit to the sobriety test comes with a five-year license suspension and $500 fine. The two license suspensions will be served concurrently.

Martin County Judge Darren Steele warned Woods that he would be sent to jail if he is caught driving.

Woods, who left the courthouse without commenting, arrived in a black SUV. Surrounded by Martin County sheriff’s deputies, he walked through a gauntlet of reporters and cameras to enter the courthouse. He was accompanied by his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.’s ex-wife.

Woods sat in the front row next to his attorney Douglas Duncan. Vanessa Trump sat one row directly behind Woods.

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Woods was arrested March 27 on charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a DUI test after the crash on South Beach Road, not far from his Jupiter Island home. He crawled out of his rolled-over SUV following a two-vehicle crash. Woods was released from jail eight hours later after posting an $1,150 bond.

In addition to being arrested, Woods was issued a traffic citation related to careless driving, which carries a $163 civil penalty.

Duncan originally entered a not-guilty plea for Woods in the DUI case. He waived Woods’ appearance at all pretrial conferences and other hearings before a trial. Duncan also represented Woods in a 2017 DUI case in Palm Beach County,

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Woods made his first public appearance since his arrest, introducing PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp on June 23 ahead of Rolapp’s news conference at the TPC River Highlands golf club in Connecticut, the site of that week’s Travelers Championship.

Woods, a 15-time major champion, had traveled back and forth from Switzerland after the accident, reportedly treatment. On April 1, a judge approved Woods’ request to travel out of the country to start “comprehensive inpatient treatment.”

Tiger Woods told investigators he took prescription medicine before crash

After the crash, Woods told investigators he took his prescription medication that morning. After administering tests, investigators determined Woods’ “normal faculties were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle.”

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Investigators reported finding two hydrocodone pills in Woods’ pants pocket. Hydrocodone is a prescription painkiller.

Steele on May 12 ordered that Woods’ prescription records be provided to prosecutors. On June 23 he ordered to allow a request for Woods’ March 27 hospital records from Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital.

Woods was taken to the Martin County Jail after the crash, where the staff requested he get “medical clearance from the hospital” because of the rollover crash.

At the hospital, Woods refused all medical treatment. After being medically discharged, he was returned to the jail.

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Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tiger Woods loses license for 5 years after reckless driving plea