Tiger Woods’ DUI probation ends one month early
As you probably recall, golf star Tiger Woods was arrested in May 2017 after Jupiter, Florida, police discovered him asleep at the wheel inside his vehicle. The car was stopped in the middle of a Florida road with a turn signal still blinking.
As we discussed on this blog at the time, Woods tested positive for several substances, including marijuana, anxiety medications, prescription painkillers and sleeping pills. He was charged with driving under the influence of drugs. Shortly afterward, he completed a 45-day inpatient drug treatment program.
Woods entered into a plea bargain in October 2017 to resolve the charges. He ultimately pled guilty to reckless driving and was offered a chance to participate in a pretrial diversion program for first-time offenders. The program included:
- A $250 fine plus court costs
- 20 hours of community service (Woods had already completed 50 hours’ worth at the Tiger Woods Foundation)
- DUI school
- A victim impact workshop
- Periodic drug testing
- One year of probation, during which he could consume no alcohol
Failure to meet any of the program requirements, a failed drug test or another charge during his probation could have meant a $500 fine and up to 90 days in jail.
Recently, papers were filed in Palm Beach County terminating his probation a month early, leaving Woods free to resume his life after 11 months.
In Tennessee, as in many other states, a DUI conviction can be immensely costly and disruptive to your life. In addition to a jail sentence, you could owe potentially thousands in fines, bail, court costs, towing fees, drug and alcohol treatment costs, high-risk insurance costs, license reinstatement fees, legal fees and restitution. In addition, you could be required to install and maintain an ignition interlock device on your car — at your own expense. This adds up to thousands or tens of thousands of dollars by the time all the costs for a first offense DUI are paid.
Therefore, it is extremely important to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney who handles DUI cases. There may be reasons to challenge the stop, the arrest, or the tests in a DUI case and having an attorney experienced with identifying those issues could be very important to the outcome of your case.