Multiple Authors
Tiger Woods told authorities that he was looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station in his SUV, which caused him not to see a truck slowing down before his rollover crash last week on Jupiter Island, Florida.
Martin County Sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar wrote in an arrest affidavit that Woods was “sweating profusely,” and his movement was “lethargic and slow” while she interviewed him.
Woods, 50, was arrested last Friday on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Editor’s Picks
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Friday that Woods’ breathalyzer test didn’t show signs of alcohol. Woods refused to submit to a urinalysis test for other drugs, according to the sheriff.
Woods’ Range Rover SUV rolled over after it clipped a trailer being hauled by a truck. The truck had slowed down to turn into a driveway. Woods’ SUV swerved and flipped on its side and slid down the road. Woods climbed out of the passenger’s window to get out.
Another Martin County Sheriff’s deputy “observed several signs of impairment and requested I conduct a DUI Investigation to ensure Woods was able to operate the motor vehicle in a safe manner at the time of the collision,” Levenar wrote in the affidavit, which was obtained Tuesday by ESPN through an open records request.
After Woods agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, the deputy observed him “limping and stumbling to the right.”
Woods told the deputy that he’d had seven back surgeries and more than 20 operations on his right leg, which he’d severely injured in a car wreck outside Los Angeles in February 2021.
“I asked Woods if he was able to perform tasks such as walking and lifting his leg, Woods advised he has a limp and his ankle seizes while walking,” Levenar wrote in the affidavit.
Because of his medical condition, Levenar told Woods to sit on the bumper of a police cruiser for the rest of the investigation.
Once Woods removed his sunglasses, Levenar noted that his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his pupils were “extremely dilated.”
The deputy asked Woods if he’d consumed any alcohol, and he replied: “None.”
When Levenar asked if Woods had taken any prescription medication that morning, he stated: “I take a few.” Woods said he’d taken prescription pills earlier in the morning, according to the report.
The names of the medications were redacted in the affidavit.
Another Martin County Sheriff’s deputy found two hydrocodone pills in Woods’ left pants pocket, according to the arrest affidavit.
Hydrocodone was the drug found in Woods’ system when he was arrested on DUI charges in May 2017.
Levenar instructed Woods to perform four field sobriety exercises. During one exercise, in which Woods was asked to follow the tip of a pen with his eyes only, he “continuously moved his head from side to side and had to be instructed several times to keep his head straight.”
In another exercise, in which Woods was instructed to slap his hands and count, “He counted out loud, ‘one,’ ‘two,’ but did not make contact with his hands between each count.”
“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that [Woods’] normal facilities were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.
After Woods was arrested, he was transported to the Cleveland Clinic ER South, but he refused all medical treatment. The 15-time major champion was transported back to the Martin County Jail, where he was held until he was released on $1,000 bond later Friday night.
In a court filing Tuesday, Woods waived arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty. He demanded a trial by jury, according to court records.
Neither Woods nor the PGA Tour had publicly commented on his arrest as of Tuesday morning.
