Tiger Woods appeared before a judge in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday and changed his plea to no contest in the DUI case that has followed him since a March rollover crash near his home. As part of the deal, prosecutors reduced his original charges — driving under the influence with property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test — to a second-offense reckless driving charge and a careless driving citation. The judge accepted the plea and suspended Woods' driver's license for five years, running concurrently on both counts, while sparing him jail time.

Quick Take

  • Woods reached a plea deal Wednesday in the Florida DUI case stemming from his March rollover crash, after prosecutors said the evidence of impairment had weakened.
  • He avoids jail time but won't be allowed to drive for five years.
  • Tiger Woods appeared before a judge in Stuart, Florida, on Wednesday and changed his plea to no contest in the DUI case that has followed him since a March rollover crash near his home.

What happened in March

The case traces back to March 27, when Woods, 50, was driving on Jupiter Island in Martin County and attempted to pass a truck ahead of him. According to authorities, his SUV clipped the back of the truck's trailer and flipped onto its side; no one was injured. Bodycam footage released afterward showed Woods being taken into custody at the scene. A breathalyzer test found no alcohol in his system, but a probable cause affidavit noted that two hydrocodone pills were found in his pants pocket, and Woods declined to take a urine test that investigators said would have screened for drugs or medication. He pleaded not guilty at the time and said in a statement that he was stepping away from golf to focus on his health, describing what he called an unexpected reaction to his medication and saying alcohol had not been a factor.

Why the charges were reduced

Martin County State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl said that as the case developed, prosecutors concluded the evidence no longer supported pursuing the original DUI charge, pointing to what he described as an erosion in the proof needed to show impairment. That assessment led to Wednesday's plea agreement rather than a trial. In court, the judge told Woods the license suspension was meant to protect public safety and warned him that driving during the suspension, for any reason, would send him directly back to jail. Woods was accompanied in the courtroom by his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump.