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Tiger Woods Set to Enter Plea Bargain for DUI Arrest

by Associated Press

   FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA --

   The diversion program for intoxicated drivers that Tiger Woods is
   expected to enter Wednesday is one of several across the U.S. aimed at
   reducing the number of repeat offenders and backlogs of court cases.
   The 41-year-old Woods is scheduled to plead guilty at a court hearing
   to reckless driving, a less severe charge than driving under the
   influence, as part of a Palm Beach County, Florida, program that has
   graduated almost 2,500 first-time offenders since it began four years
   ago.
   Deputy State Attorney Richard Clausi, who oversees the county's
   misdemeanor prosecutions, said that less than 1 percent of the
   program's participants have reoffended. He said the key has been
   getting offenders to take responsibility for their actions without
   requiring a trial and making sure they complete the program.

   "It's still early, but we think it has been a success," he said.
   In the diversion program, Woods will spend a year on probation and pay
   a $250 fine and court costs. He also must attend DUI school, perform 20
   hours of community service and attend a workshop where victims of
   impaired drivers detail how their lives were damaged. Since he was
   intoxicated with prescription drugs and marijuana, according to court
   records, he will also be required to undergo regular drug tests.
   At the hearing, he must show he has started the program. If he
   completes it, he can ask a judge to expunge the reckless driving
   conviction, but if he is charged again, he could be treated like a
   second-time DUI offender. He would not be again eligible for diversion
   and he could face possible jail time, a mandatory license suspension
   and stiffer fines.
   Similar DUI diversion programs are offered in several other states,
   including Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Oregon, Pennsylvania and
   Texas. Details vary and some, like Florida, let local officials decide
   whether to offer it.
   Neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor Mothers
   Against Drunk Driving (MADD) knew of any recent outside studies
   examining whether diversion programs are effective.
   J.T. Griffin, MADD's chief government affairs officer, said the
   organization supports diversion programs like Palm Beach County's
   because for drunken drivers, it requires the installation of an
   interlock device, which checks the driver's blood-alcohol content
   before the car can be started. He said studies show interlocks decrease
   recidivism among first-time offenders by 65 percent.
   "It is good for the public because 50 to 75 percent of drunk drivers
   are going to continue to drive, even on a suspended driver's license,"
   Griffin said. "With an ignition interlock, they can keep driving but in
   a safe way and the hope is that they will learn their lesson."
   Woods was arrested about 2 a.m. May 29 when officers found him
   unconscious in his Mercedes-Benz, which was parked awkwardly on the
   roadside and had damage to the driver's side. It's not clear how he
   damaged the car. Officers checked the area but didn't find that he had
   hit anything. He was about 15 miles from his home.
   Woods had the active ingredient for marijuana, two painkillers -
   Vicodin and Dilaudid - the sleep drug Ambien and the anti-anxiety drug
   Xanax in his system but no alcohol, according to a toxicology report
   released in August.
   Woods issued a statement in August saying he had been self-medicating
   for pain caused by his fourth back surgery and insomnia. He did not
   specifically address the marijuana issue. None was found in his
   possession.
   "I realize now it was a mistake to do this without medical assistance,"
   Woods said then. He completed a drug treatment program in July.
   Woods' attorney, Douglas Duncan, did not respond to phone calls and
   emails seeking comment about Wednesday's hearing.
   The DUI arrest was the first time Woods had been in trouble since
   Thanksgiving weekend 2009, when he plowed his SUV into a tree and a
   fire hydrant outside his then-Windermere, Florida, home. That led to
   revelations that he had multiple extramarital affairs, and a divorce
   from his wife Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children. He spent
   45 days in a Mississippi clinic where he was treated for sex addiction.
   Woods' 79 PGA Tour victories and 14 major titles both rank No. 2
   all-time. He has not competed since February because of his back injury
   and is not expected to return this year. His last win was in August
   2013.
   Woods has said his back is improving. Even though he has been a
   non-factor on the PGA Tour, Forbes Magazine lists Woods as the 17th
   best-paid athlete in the world in 2017, making $37 million, almost
   exclusively from endorsements.