Tiger Woods told police he was looking at his cellphone and changing the radio station before his rollover crash last week in Jupiter Island, Fla., according to the arrest affidavit obtained Tuesday by ESPN.
Woods, 50, was jailed on a charge of suspicion of misdemeanor DUI with property damage following last Friday’s accident and was released on a $1,000 bond about eight hours later.
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said a breathalyzer test showed no signs of alcohol, but that Woods refused a urinalysis test for other drugs.
Woods was “sweating profusely” and his movements were “lethargic and slow” during an interview with sheriff’s deputy Tatiana Levenar, she wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Another 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 by ESPN through an open records request.
During the field sobriety exercises, the deputy wrote that Woods was “limping and stumbling to the right.” Woods told the deputy he had undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 operations on his right leg since a major car accident near Los Angeles in 2021.
“Based on my observations of Woods, how he performed the exercises and based on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed his normal facilities were impaired, and he was unable to safely operate the motor vehicle,” Levenar wrote.
Levenar also noted that Woods’ eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his pupils were “extremely dilated.” Woods denied consuming any alcohol but said he had taken “a few” prescription pills that morning, per the report. Names of the medications were redacted in the affidavit, however another Martin County Sheriff’s deputy found two hydrocodone pills in Woods’ left pants pocket.
As of Tuesday morning, neither Woods nor the PGA Tour has yet to publicly comment on the 15-time major winner’s arrest.
