Five months into the legal battle, Tiger Woods stood in front of a Martin County judge on Wednesday for the first and last time to close his guilty plea. The 15-time major champion has already made headlines for accepting a five-year driver’s license suspension in his DUI case. But the courtroom exchange revealed far more about how strict this resolution has been for Woods. The judge, Darren Steele, did not just hand down a number, as he spelled out what would happen if Woods ever got behind the wheel again for those five years. Here’s exactly what went down in the courtroom today.
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The hearing had originally been expected to be scheduled for September 8th. Instead, his attorney filed a motion a day earlier to change his plea, and the conference was moved to September 2nd. Until now, attorney Douglas Duncan handled every step of the proceeding on Woods’ behalf. This time, Woods appeared in person to answer the judge for himself.
Judge Steele’s ruling left no room for interpretation, as the court stated,
“The agreement calls for an account once the state amends the charge to reckless driving, second offense, adjudication of guilt, $1000 fine, five-years driver’s license suspension. Count two, which is the refusal to submit to a lawful test, adjudication, and $500. The judge imposes a five-year driver’s license suspension to run concurrently with count one. So I want you to understand the five years of driving is for the safety of the public. There are no exceptions. If you were to drive for any reason at all, you go immediately back to jail.”
The scenes at the courtroom for Tiger Woods were critical, as usual. He was accompanied by his girlfriend, Vanessa Trump, who sat on the second bench throughout the proceeding. His attorney and legal team stood beside him at the podium before Judge Steele accepted the plea.
As per the standard procedure, Woods was walked through the rights he was giving up: the right to trial before a judge or jury, the right to make the state prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and the right to cross-examine witnesses.
Before ruling out the orders, Woods was asked whether he had enough time to speak with his attorney and whether he was satisfied with his advice. Woods answered yes. Furthermore, he was asked if the signature on the final page of the plea form was his, and he answered once again. Through nearly every question, Woods was seen keeping his responses brief and direct.
As for the final decision, Judge Steele accepted Woods’ change of plea agreement. At the beginning of the case, prosecutors had amended his original DUI-with-property-damage charge down to reckless driving, second offense. Additionally, Woods’ refusal to submit to a lawful test charge at the scene was also resolved with a guilty plea, alongside a separate careless driving citation.
All in all, he was fined $1,000 for reckless driving with a five-year license suspension. He was also ordered to pay $18.44 to the state’s attorney’s office. His refusal charge added to a $500 fine and its own five-year suspension, running concurrently with the first.
Once the judge confirmed the plea was entered freely and had a valid factual basis, he moved on to the financial terms. He told Woods he needed to pay all the costs on that day or any time within the next month, to which his legal team responded that the fines were already settled. The judge also reminded Woods that he had the right to appeal the ruling within 30 days. As the hearing wound down, Woods was seen signing paperwork at the podium while the court waited to be adjourned.
That being said, the case traces back five months to March 27, when Woods’ Land Rover overturned on Jupiter Island after he overtook a pickup truck towing a pressure cleaning trailer. He was arrested and charged with DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit a urine test at the scene, though a breath analyzer showed no alcohol in his system.
The subsequent steps from his legal team started as they first pleaded not guilty on March 31st. Tiger Woods also released an official statement the same day he was stepping away from golf to seek treatment. He also missed the Masters for the second consecutive year.
In the consecutive weeks, Woods was seen entering an inpatient facility in Zurich, Switzerland, and his treatment went on till May. As for his court case continuing on the side, prosecutors subpoenaed his prescription records, a request Duncan initially fought on privacy grounds before complying with.
During the critical time, Woods briefly returned to the U.S. on May 13 to support Trump during her cancer treatment, then was seen going back to rehab before being photographed. He only made his first public appearance during the treatment on June 23rd. All in all, Wednesday’s hearing has closed a legal chapter for him that had been impeding his career.