A newly released arrest report says Tiger Woods was “sweating profusely,” had bloodshot eyes and “extremely dilated” pupils after a Friday rollover crash that left his Land Rover on its side on Jupiter Island, Florida.
Woods, 50, has pleaded not guilty to charges including driving under the influence, according to a court filing by his attorney. He waived arraignment and pretrial appearances and has requested a jury trial, the filing says. On Tuesday, Woods posted that he is “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment.”
Deputies who responded to the crash around 2 p.m. reported that Woods appeared impaired while answering questions and attempting field sobriety tests. Officers described his movements as “lethargic and slow” though they noted he seemed alert. Woods initially wore sunglasses; when asked to remove them, deputies said his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy.”
Woods told officers he had not consumed alcohol that day but had taken “a few” prescription medications. Two pills later identified as the painkiller hydrocodone were found in his pants pocket. Details about his regular prescriptions were provided to officers but redacted in the affidavit.
According to the report, Woods agreed to perform several field sobriety exercises but failed to complete some correctly. During the horizontal gaze nystagmus test, deputies said he could not keep his head still and had to be instructed multiple times to hold it straight. He also failed to follow directions on other coordination and cognitive tasks involving counting, stepping and patterned hand movements. One deputy concluded, based on observations and training, that Woods’ normal faculties were impaired and he could not safely operate the vehicle.
Woods was taken to the Martin County Jail without incident. A breath test detected no alcohol; he refused a urine test that could have identified non-alcohol substances, and that refusal resulted in an additional charge.
The affidavit says the crash occurred after Woods was driving behind a pickup towing a trailer. When the truck slowed to turn into a driveway, Woods suddenly swerved toward the road’s center. He told deputies he was looking down at his cellphone and changing the radio and did not notice the truck slowing. He said he was driving from his house.
No injuries were reported. The trailer was estimated to have about $5,000 in damage. The truck driver and another person helped Woods exit the overturned SUV; because the driver’s side was facing the ground after the flip, he climbed out the passenger side.