Tiger Woods had to be woken up at wheel, had slurred speech during DUI arrest: affidavit
JUPITER, Fla. -- Golfing great Tiger Woods had to be woken up at the wheel on the morning of his DUI arrest, according to a probable cause affidavit released by the Jupiter Police Department.
Woods, the 14-time major PGA champion who had back surgery five weeks ago, was arrested on suspicion of DUI at about 3 a.m. Monday and taken to Palm Beach County jail. He was released on his own recognizance.
Police found Woods' black Mercedes stopped in the roadway in the right hand lane with the engine running, brake lights illuminated and the right blinker flashing, the report says.
When an officer approached Woods, he was asleep in the driver's seat with his seatbelt on, according to police.
"It should be noted [that] Woods was asleep at the wheel and had to be woken up," the affidavit says.
Breath and urine tests showed no alcohol in his system, but his speech "extremely slow and slurred, mumbled, confused." Woods reportedly told officers he was coming home from golfing, but the report also says he didn't know where he was.
"Woods had changed his story of where he was going and where was coming from," the affidavit says.
Officers said Woods was cooperative but failed a roadside sobriety test.
The report says Woods was given tests including a "one-leg stand" and "finger to nose." It says he didn't raise his foot up off the ground six inches and placed his foot back on the ground numerous times. Officers re-explained instructions "several times," but he "did not return arms to side after touching nose."
The report also says that Woods was unable to walk alone and that he "takes several prescriptions."
In a statement, Tiger Woods said an "unexpected reaction" to prescription medicine was behind the arrest and "alcohol was not involved."
"I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions," Woods said in a statement Monday evening. "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."
Woods apologized to his family, friends and fans and said, "I expect more from myself, too."
"I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again," he said.
Woods, who ranks second with his 79 career victories on the PGA Tour, has not played for four months and has played in just one event in 2017, according to CBS Sports. He is out for the rest of the season while he recovers from his fourth back surgery.
In an update posted last Wednesday on his website, he said the surgery provided instant relief from pain and he hasn't "felt this good in years."
His agent at Excel Sports, Mark Steinberg, did not respond to a voicemail from the Associated Press seeking comment. PGA Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said the tour would have no comment.
Woods said in his statement that he fully cooperated with law enforcement and thanked Jupiter Police and the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office for being professional.
Woods, who had been No. 1 longer than any other golfer, has not been a factor since his last victory in August 2013 as he battled through back surgeries from a week before the 2014 Masters until his most recent fusion surgery on his lower back a month ago.
It was the first time Woods has run into trouble off the golf course since he plowed his SUV into a tree and a fire hydrant outside his Windermere, Florida, home in the early morning after Thanksgiving in 2009, which led to revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs.
A police report then showed that a Florida trooper who suspected Woods was driving under the influence sought a subpoena for the golfer's blood test results from the hospital, but prosecutors rejected the petition for insufficient information.
A witness, who wasn't identified in the report, told the trooper he had been drinking alcohol earlier. The same witness also said Woods had been prescribed two drugs, the sleep aid Ambien and the painkiller Vicodin. The report did not say who the witness was but said it was the same person who pulled Woods from the vehicle after the accident. Woods' wife has told police that she used a golf club to smash the back windows of the Cadillac Escalade to help her husband out.
He eventually was cited for careless driving and fined $164.
Woods and wife Elin Nordegren divorced in 2010. He later had a relationship with Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn that lasted two years.
Woods' arraignment in Palm Beach County court on a DUI charge is scheduled for July 5.
