Tiger Woods Blames Prescription Meds For DUI Arrest In Jupiter
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JUPITER (CBSMiami) – Golf superstar Tiger Woods has been fighting to get his career back on track after a rash of injuries have kept him off the links.
On Monday, Woods may have provided himself another hurdle.
Woods was arrested early in the morning, charged with driving under the influence in Jupiter.
It happened on Military Trail – a few miles from his upscale restaurant "The Woods."
Jupiter police are releasing few details, but celebrity website TMZ reports their sources tell them an officer spotted him "driving erratically, all over the road."
The source reported the "officer smelled alcohol on Woods' breath" and that the golfer "became arrogant."
It was also reported "the officer asked him to blow into a breathalyzer but he refused."
Authorities took Woods into custody around 3 a.m. He was then booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at 7 a.m. Jail records indicate he was released from custody just before 11 a.m.
Woods attributed an "unexpected reaction" to prescription medicine for his arrest.
"I understand the severity of what I did and I take full responsibility for my actions," Woods said in a statement Monday evening. "I want the public to know that alcohol was not involved. What happened was an unexpected reaction to prescribed medications. I didn't realize the mix of medications had affected me so strongly."
Woods apologized to his family, friends and fans and said, "I expect more from myself, too."
"I will do everything in my power to ensure this never happens again," he said.
"The fact that there is no breath test result and the roadside test, if administered, are only going to show a limited amount of information. It may make for a more difficult case," said Miami Attorney David Weinstein.
Police said they do not have body camera footage of the stop, but there may have been a dash cam.
Weinstein is not involved in the case, but tells us, normally, in these situations, not blowing makes prosecution more difficult.
But he said there's a downside as well for Woods.
"What it also means is that if he wants to enter into a diversion program the length will now be 12 months and he'll have an interlock device placed on his car for six months and his license has been suspended immediately because his refused to submit to a breath test," Weinstein explained.
Woods' personal trouble first came to light in 2009 with an incident at his home outside Orlando when a car accident led to revaluations of extramarital affairs.
The arrest comes just days after Woods talked about his back surgery on his blog.
He said, "It has been just over a month since I underwent fusion surgery on my back and it is hard to express how much better I feel… I could no longer live with the pain I had."
Weinstein said that surgery could play a role here.
"He's had documented surgical problems and issues related to his back. His poor performance on a roadside sobriety test could be due to his bad back and other injured during the time he played golf."
Woods has not played golf in four months while recovering from back surgery, his fourth.
The 14-time major champion who ranks second on the PGA Tour's all-time wins list with 79 has not won a tour event since August of 2013.