What to know about Tiger Woods' rollover crash in Florida
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods’ refusal to take a urine test following his recent rollover crash can be prosecuted under a change to Florida law last year, and prosecutors can build a DUI case against him even without lab results by utilizing deputy testimony, and body camera and dashcam video, according to a legal expert. The golfer was traveling at “high speeds” on a beachside, residential road in Jupiter Island on Friday when his Land Rover clipped a truck and rolled onto its side, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, noting that Woods showed “signs of impairment.
" Investigators believe Woods, who wasn't injured, had taken some kind of medication or drug and described him as lethargic. He agreed to a Breathalyzer 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, didn't immediately respond to a Monday text message or phone call seeking comment. No one from Woods’ camp or the PGA Tour -- he is on the board and is chairman of the committee reshaping the competition model -- has commented since his arrest. Here's what to know about the case: Woods is charged with refusing the test, among other things Woods, who has been involved in other crashes over the years, is charged with driving under the influence, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
Under the change to Florida law, refusing a law enforcement officer's request to take a breath, blood or urine test became a misdemeanor, even for a first offense. Refusal was previously only prosecuted if a driver had refused to take a test during a prior incident — which incentivized people facing DUI charges to refuse the test. “Now, it doesn't matter if you refused previously or not,” said David Hill, an Orlando defense attorney who isn't involved in Woods' case.
‘We will never get definitive results’ Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek told reporters that Woods was cooperative when he talked to investigators after the accident but that he chose his words carefully. “And when it came for the urine tests at the jail, he stopped that,” Budensiek said. Woods had a right to refuse the test, but as a result, he was charged under the new Florida statute, the sheriff said.