[Photo: Joe Raedle]
Tiger Woods was found carrying two hydrocodone pills in his left pants pocket after his rollover crash in Florida’s Martin County, according to a probable cause affidavit released overnight (Australian time) by the sheriff’s department.
RELATED: Tiger Woods is not OK
According to the document, Woods told a sheriff’s deputy he had been looking at his mobile phone and changing the radio station, and failed to notice the vehicle ahead of him had slowed at the time of the accident. The deputy, assessing Woods at the scene, observed a number of impairment indicators, including:
• profuse sweating despite a cool environment
• bloodshot and glassy eyes with extremely dilated pupils
• lethargic and slow movements
• persistent hiccups throughout the encounter
Woods denied consuming alcohol but acknowledged taking prescription medication “earlier in the morning”, telling the deputy, “I take a few.” He also disclosed a medical history that underscores the severity of his physical condition with seven back surgeries and more than 20 leg operations, factors that influenced how deputies administered field sobriety exercises. Hydrocodone, the opioid identified in his pocket, is typically prescribed for severe, chronic pain.
RELATED: Why Tiger Woods has never been in greater legal jeopardy
A breath test administered at Martin County Jail registered 0.000 on both samples, ruling out alcohol. Woods refused to submit to a urine test to determine the presence of chemical or controlled substances, leading to the suspicion of DUI charge. The affidavit also lists damage to the trailer that Woods hit was estimated at approximately $US5,000.
The arrest lands against a backdrop of prior incidents. In 2017, Woods was arrested for reckless driving; toxicology showed five different drugs in his system. A 2021 single-car accident produced no blood or chemical test.
Woods has not released a statement about his arrest. As of writing, he remains in the field for next week’s Masters Tournament.
