Tiger Woods says medication, not alcohol, led to DUI arrest

Players arriving for a tournament this week at Muirfield Village might notice a framed picture of Tiger Woods with a resplendent smile and bright red shirt. He's posed there with the trophy, an image that embodies the excitement he once brought to golf.

A far different photo emerged Monday, this one from the Palm Beach County jail in Florida after Woods was arrested on a DUI charge.

Sullen, lifeless eyes.

Thinning hair mussed at the top. Scraggly facial hair. A white T-shirt.

In another stunning development for a player who became one of the dominant figures in sports, Woods was arrested on suspicion of DUI and spent nearly four hours in jail before he was released on his own recognizance.

Woods said an "unexpected reaction" to prescription medicine — not alcohol — was the reason for his arrest. He said he understands the severity of the incident and takes full responsibility.

"I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved," he said. "What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly."

Woods said he wanted to apologize to his family, friends and fans, adding that "I expect more from myself, too."

"I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again," he said.

Jupiter Police spokeswoman Kristin Rightler said an arrest report may be available Tuesday.

Woods, a 14-time major champion who ranks No. 2 in PGA Tour history with 79 victories, has not played golf for four months. He had a fourth back surgery on April 20, and just five days ago reported on his website that the fusion surgery brought instant relief from pain and that he "hasn't felt better in years."

Rightler said Woods was arrested about 3 a.m. Monday on Military Trail, a six-lane road south of Indian Creek Parkway. He was about 20 minutes from his home on Jupiter Island. His statement did not indicate where he was going at that hour or where he had been.

Woods' 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.

Players arriving at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, for the Memorial did not want to comment, either.

Within an hour of the news, they all had seen the photo.

Notah Begay, a close friend and roommate of Woods when they played at Stanford, was empathetic. Begay was arrested for aggravated drunken driving in 2000 when he ran into a car outside a bar in New Mexico. He was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with all but seven days suspended.

"It's embarrassing for Tiger, something that you can't go back and change," Begay said on Golf Channel from the NCAA men's golf championship in Sugar Grove, Illinois, where he was working for the network. "I've been there myself. ... But it was a turning point in my life. Hopefully, it's something he'll learn from, grow from, take responsibility for and use it to make some changes."

Begay later said on Golf Channel he had exchanged text messages with Woods after the arrest.

"He seemed like he was in a better place," Begay said.

Woods has not been seen at a golf tournament since he opened with a 77 at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, withdrawing the next day because of back spasms. He was in Los Angeles for the Genesis Open, run by his Tiger Woods Foundation, but he did not come to the course at Riviera because of his back.

He was at the Masters, but only to attend the dinner for past champions.

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.

This 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.

source: philstar.com

Amanda Bynes arrested for DUI again

Amanda Bynes was arrested for DUI early Sunday in Los Angeles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP pulled her over around 4 a.m. and took her into custody on a misdemeanor charge of suspicion of driving under the influence of a controlled substance. According to the arrest report, the officer pulled her over because her Mercedes SUV stopped for a red light in the middle of an intersection.

"The driver, identified by her drivers license as Ms Amanda Bynes, appeared to be under the influence," the arrest record said.

She was taken to a station in nearby Van Nuys, booked and released on a $15,000 bond around noon the same day. She was described as "cooperative during the entire process."

The former Nickelodeon star also was arrested on a DUI charge in 2012. She pleaded no contest to alcohol-related reckless driving in February 2014, and was sentenced to three years of probation.

In 2013, she went into rehab, got out and was living with her parents. She received psychiatric treatment last year after authorities said she set a small fire in the driveway of a home in Thousand Oaks.

Bynes, now 28, starred in her own Nickelodeon variety program, The Amanda Show and appeared in several movies, including What a Girl Wants.

A phone message left for Bynes' attorney, Richard Hutton, was not immediately returned, the Associated Press reported.

source: usatoday.com

Sam Donaldson Arrested for DUI

Sam Donaldson may be known for reporting information, but on Dec. 1 he made some news of his own.

The ABC News veteran, 78, was arrested around 8 p.m. on Dec. 1 for driving under the influence in Lewes, Del., Police Chief Jeffrey Horvath confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday.

Cooperating with authorities by taking an Intoxilyzer test, the journalist was then released to an adult pending an appearance in court.

Donaldson was initially pulled over for a traffic violation, but after further investigation, it was apparent he had been drinking.

• Reporting by MARY GREEN

source: people.com

US teen drunk driving rate cut in half in 20 years

ATLANTA - The percentage of U.S. high school students who drink and drive has dropped by more than half in two decades, in part due to tougher laws against driving under the influence of alcohol, federal health officials said on Tuesday.

 

In 2011, 10.3 percent of high school students 16 and older reported drinking and driving in the previous 30 days, compared to 22.3 percent in 1991, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study.

 

The CDC credited the nearly 54 percent decline to stricter laws against drunken driving and restrictions on teen driving privileges, such as limits on the hours teenagers may legally drive at night.

 

"We've seen really good progress," CDC Director Thomas Frieden told reporters. "We're moving in the right direction, but we need to keep up the momentum."

 

Despite the decrease, nearly 1 million high school students consumed alcohol before driving last year, the report showed.

 

Drinking and driving among teens is a factor in more than 800 deaths annually, and car crashes remain the leading cause of death among teens aged 16-19, the CDC said.

 

For the report, the CDC analyzed risk behavior data collected from thousands of high school students through national surveys and from 41 states.

 

In 2011, the percentage of students who reported drinking and driving in the previous 30 days ranged from a low of 4.6 percent in Utah to a high of 14.5 percent in North Dakota.

 

Male students aged 18 and older were the most likely to drink and drive and 16-year-old female students were the least likely, the CDC said. Eighty-five percent of high school students who reported drinking and driving in the prior month also admitted binge drinking, defined as having five or more drinks during a short time period.

 

The CDC said another factor in the decline of teen drinking and driving was that high school students increasingly were driving less, possibly because of higher gasoline prices and a slowdown in the economy.

 

From 2000-2010, the percentage of high school seniors who did not drive during an average week jumped by almost a third from 15 percent to 22 percent, the health agency said.

 

Frieden said parents were vital in ensuring that rates of teen drinking and driving continue to decrease.

  

"Children see how their parents drive from a young age and model that behavior," he said. "Parents are a key part of the equation here." - Reuters

 

source: gmanetwork.com

 

Cat Cora Avoids Jail Time in DUI Case: Report

Cat Cora apparently won't face time behind bars for her June 17 DUI arrest.

The Around the World in 80 Plates co-host and Food Network star – who rear-ended a vehicle in Santa Barbara, Calif., after leaving a tavern – pled no contest to driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, according to TMZ – and had her remaining DUI count dropped.

She was, however, sentenced to three years probation and nine months of DUI school, and paid $2,386 in fines. Additionally, she received a 120-day suspended jail sentence, which she won't serve if she fulfills her other requirements.

"I deeply regret my decision to drive that evening after my designated driver became unavailable," Cora said in a statement shortly after her arrest. "I learned a very important lesson from this experience and take full accountability for my actions. This will never happen again."

source: people.com

Matthew Fox Arrested for DUI

Matthew Fox was arrested for driving under the influence on Friday.

The former Lost star, 45, had one passenger with him when he was cited at 3:23 a.m., TMZ reports.

Driving in Oregon, where he currently lives, the actor was apparently en route to a fast food restaurant at the time of his arrest. He was taken into custody and released later that day.

Last September, Fox had another run-in with the law when a Cleveland bus driver accused him of assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress. This instance was also said to involve alcohol.

A rep for the actor had no comment.

source: people.com

Amanda Bynes Involved in Another Car Mishap

Amanda Bynes might want to consider taking the bus for awhile.

On Friday afternoon, the actress, 26, allegedly sideswiped a pick-up truck with her black Range Rover in Los Angeles and continued driving, which prompted the other driver to dial 911.

"At 4:25 p.m., we were notified of a possible hit-and-run," LAPD Sgt. Ben Zucker tells PEOPLE. "The caller followed Miss Bynes for a short distance to a gas station."

An LAPD police helicopter that was already in the vicinity flew overhead as a total of six police cars arrived on the scene and made contact with Bynes, Sgt. Zucker says.



"It turned out the damage to the pick-up truck was so minor that it was very plausible she had no idea that she hit anyone," Sgt. Zucker adds. "Because of that, we decided not to charge her with hit and run, took a traffic report instead and sent her on her way. There were no arrests made and no one was injured."

Sgt. Zucker says Bynes was cooperative, there was no indication she was under the influence, and both drivers exchanged insurance information. The damage to the alleged victim was minor paint rub to his right front fender, Sgt. Zucker confirms.

Last month, Bynes was arrested for driving under the influence, and then was involved in two other driving mishaps, including driving over a curb.

source: people.com

'Idol' Bikini Girl Charged with Drunk Hit-and-Run

Katrina Darrell -- the girl who infamously auditioned for "American Idol" back in 2009 wearing just a bikini -- has been charged with hit-and-run while driving under the influence ... TMZ has learned

According to the charging docs, obtained by TMZ, Katrina has been charged with one count of DUI, and two counts of misdemeanor hit and run.

If convicted on all counts, she faces up to 2 years behind bars.

TMZ broke the story -- Katrina was arrested last month after allegedly running a red light and smashing into another car. According to police, Katrina attempted to flee the scene ... but was pulled over down the street by a cop who heard the crash.

Back at the police station, an officer administered a breathalyzer -- and Katrina blew a .15 and a .17 ... roughly double the legal limit in California.

Katrina has adamantly denied both driving drunk and fleeing the scene.

source: http://www.tmz.com/2012/04/28/american-idol-bikini-girl-katrina-darrell-charged-dui-hit-and-run/#.T5vtw9n64zA