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Thursday 1 June 2017
Criminal expert: Tiger Woods made mistake issuing statement

DOUG FERGUSON ditions such as taking a DUI
AP Golf Writer course.
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — An- Defendants typically do
other public embarrass- not lose their driver’s li-
ment for Tiger Woods is cense.
shifting to the legal side fol- Any punishment from the
lowing his arrest in Florida PGA Tour is not made pub-
on a DUI charge, with one lic.
criminal expert suggesting Woods had his fourth back
Woods made a mistake by surgery on April 20 and is
claiming publicly that pre- out the rest of the year.
scription medicine was to He has played just one
blame. PGA Tour event since Au-
On the eve of the Memo- gust 2015 because of other
rial Tournament, which back surgeries.
Woods won a record five A tour spokesman declined
times, PGA Tour players to comment on whether
who grew up admiring his Woods is subject to any
dominance in golf wished penalty “conduct unbe-
for the best. coming,” keeping to the
Commissioner Jay Monah- These are file photos by year showing Tiger Woods, starting in 1994 and ending with a 2017 photo longtime PGA Tour policy
an said the tour would be provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, May 29, 2017. Associated Press of not discussing whether
there to help him. players are disciplined.
“I think Tiger’s statement day night. It shows officers ing Vicodin, that Woods re- which results in probation, Steven Bowditch was ar-
on Monday night, where approach the car and ported taking. a $250 fine and other con- rested during the Phoenix
he apologized and he said Woods, who didn’t know Vicodin is an opioid pain
he was going to do every- where he was. The footage medication. The other 6 track athletes handed doping
thing he can in his power also shows Woods stumble three drugs appear to be
to make sure this doesn’t and sway through a field misspelled. One is similar in bans after Olympic retests
happen again, I think says sobriety test. spelling to Solax (a muscle
everything,” Monahan told He was arrested and briefly relaxer) or Solox (for acid MONACO (AP) — Six Rus- for two years. Two Ukraini-
The Associated Press on jailed on suspicion of driv- reflux). sian and Ukrainian track ans, javelin silver medalist
Wednesday. ing under the influence. He Another is similar in spell- athletes were handed Oleksandr Pyatnytsya and
“He’s a member of our also agreed to a urine test. ing to Etorix, a painkiller not doping bans Wednesday pole vault bronze medal-
family, and we’re going to It the first time Woods ran currently approved in the after retests found they had ist Denys Yurchenko, were
do everything we can to into trouble off the golf United States. doped at the 2008 and also banned for two years.
help and support him.” course since he plowed his David S. Weinstein, a for- 2012 Olympics. They had already been
Jupiter Police on patrol at SUV into a tree and a fire mer federal and state The IAAF said Russian sprint- stripped of their Olym-
2 a.m. Monday noticed hydrant outside his Winder- prosecutor, said the key to er Yulia Chermoshanskaya, pic medals last year by
a Mercedes pulled awk- mere, Florida, home in the prosecuting Woods would who won 4x100-meter relay the International Olympic
wardly to the side of the early morning after Thanks- be establishing the pres- gold in 2008, was banned Committee.q
road with the engine run- giving in 2009, which led ence of Vicodin.
ning, the brake lights on to revelations that he had “You can’t get him on a
and a right turn signal blink- multiple extramarital af- sleeping pill,” said Wein-
ing. Both tires on the left fairs. He eventually was cit- stein, now a defense law-
side of the car were flat, ed for careless driving and yer in Miami. “It has to be a
and police described fresh fined $164. controlled substance.”
damage to the driver’s Woods is to be arraigned Under Florida law, a pre-
side. July 5 in Palm Beach Coun- sumption of guilt exists
Inside the car, Woods was ty court on the DUI charge. if there is evidence of a
sound asleep at the wheel. Katie Phang, a former Flor- blood-alcohol content of
Police said in incident re- ida prosecutor, said the .08 or above. No such pre-
ports that his speech was statement in which Woods sumption exists when drugs
slurred and he didn’t know took full responsibility could are involved. Weinstein said
where he was. He was un- come back to haunt him if prosecutors would have to
able to tie his shoes and he fights the charge. use other evidence that
failed a sobriety test. “Tiger’s statement was Woods was impaired, such
A breath test registered a bad idea. He should as failing roadside sobriety
0.0 for alcohol, corroborat- not have said anything,” tests, being found asleep
ing what Woods said in a Phang said. “Now, he can’t at the wheel or signs of a
statement issued Monday claim that he was not DUI possible accident with his
evening. and just was tired from a car.
“I want the public to know long day.” He said the presence of Vi-
that alcohol was not in- Douglas Duncan, a West codin in a urine test would
volved,” Woods said. Palm Beach attorney rep- not be enough.
“What happened was an resenting Woods, did not “It has to affect your nor-
unexpected reaction to immediately return mes- mal faculties,” he said.
prescribed medications. sages by phone or email Weinstein said DUI suspects
I didn’t realize the mix of from The Associated Press. in Palm Beach County
medications had affected Woods told police he had can be offered a diver-
me so strongly.” taken several prescriptions. sion program at arraign- In this Saturday, July 31, 2010 file photo, Russia’s Yulia Cher-
Police released the dash- The arrest affidavit listed ment that drops the DUI moshanskaya competes in a Women’s 4x100m heat during the
European Athletics Championships, in Barcelona, Spain.
cam footage Wednes- four medications, includ- charge to reckless driving, Associated Press