Woods, who has been involved in multiple accidents over the years, is charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusing to submit to a lawful test.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Tiger Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his pupils were dilated and he had hydrocodone pills in his pocket when he was interviewed. at the scene of his car crash last week in Florida, according to a sheriff’s office report released Tuesday.
Woods’ movements were slow and lethargiche was sweating while talking to deputies and told them he had taken prescription medication earlier in the morning, according to the incident report released by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Woods told deputies he was looking at his phone and on the radio before he pulled over a truck in front of him, the report said.
Deputies found two white pills in his pocket, which were identified as the opioid hydrocodone used to treat pain, the report said.
When asked by a deputy if he took any prescription drugs, Woods said, “I take some.”
The golfer was speeding down a residential road on Jupiter Island when his Land Rover cut off the truck and rolled onto its side, according to the sheriff’s office, which noted that Woods showed signs of injury.
The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to the sheriff’s report.
The truck driver and another person helped Woods out of his vehicle, with the golfer having to get out of the passenger side. Neither Woods nor the truck driver were injured.
During a field sobriety test, deputies noticed that Woods was limping and that he had a compression stocking over his right knee. The golfer explained that he has had seven back surgeries and over 20 leg surgeries and that his ankles seize up when he walks. Woods, who was hiccupping during questioning, repeatedly moved his head during one of the field sobriety tests and deputies had to instruct him several times to keep his head straight, the report said.
“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises, and based on my training, knowledge and experience, I believed that Woods’ normal faculties were impaired and he was unable to safely operate a motor vehicle,” the deputy wrote after the tests.
Woods, 50, is the most influential figure in golf and has become as popular as any athlete in the world. The first person of black heritage to win the Masters in 1997, he has dazzled golf fans with records that will likely never be broken.
But his injuries prevented him from achieving more, including those suffered in a 2021 car accident that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.
In this latest crash, Woods agreed to a breath test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later.
Woods’ agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment. Nobody from Woods Camp or PGA Tour – is on the board and is the chairman of the commission reshaping the competition model – have commented since his arrest.
Woods, who has been involved in many accidents over the years, charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusing to submit to legal testing. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 23. Online court documents do not show an attorney for him.
Under a change in Florida law last year, refusing a law enforcement officer’s request for a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for the first offense.
By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson in Jacksonville, Florida, contributed to this report.
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