Woods avoids jail for DUI

Photo: Police photo

Superstar golfer Tiger Woods pleaded guilty Friday to reckless driving and agreed to enter a diversion program to settle a charge of driving under the influence that began when he was found passed out in his Mercedes.

Woods, 41, spoke only briefly during a hearing at a Palm Beach County, Florida, courthouse that coincidentally is on PGA Boulevard. He answered the judge's questions about his plea agreement with prosecutors but did not make any broader statement.

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. The judge indicated he had completed those requirements.

Since he was intoxicated with prescription drugs and marijuana, according to court records, he will also be required to undergo regular drug tests.

The judge warned Woods to stay out of trouble.

"This particular plea agreement has no jail time on it. However, if you violate your probation in any significant way, I could revoke your probation and then I could sentence you to jail for 90 days with a fine of up to $500, is that understood?" Judge Sandra Bosso-Pardo said.

Woods, 41, nodded.

Woods was arrested about 2 a.m. May 29 when officers found him unconscious in his Mercedes-Benz. 

He 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.