Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - TIGER WOODS ARREST

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

Tiger Woods arrested again after rolling his vehicle during a two-car crash. According to police, Woods was attempting to pass a truck in front of him on a two-lane road in Jupiter Island, Florida, bu...t Wood’s Range Rover clipped the back of the truck. No other vehicles were involved.  Wood was able to crawl out of the passenger side window. Officers on the scene administered a breathalyzer test, with Woods blowing zero, negative for alcohol. Officers still suspected Woods was impaired, saying the golf legend appeared “lethargic.” He then refused a urine test. Woods was then taken into custody. Woods is now charged with a DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test. Joining Nancy Grace today: Troy Slaten  -Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Slaten Lawyers -  certified 'Standardized Field Sobriety Test Instructor,' Candidate for Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, on the June 2nd ballot,  Twitter @TroySlaten  Dr. Bethany Marshall -  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker,”  featured on Peacock and Bravo, www.drbethanymarshall.com , Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive Dr. Kendall Crowns  - Chief Medical Examiner Tarrant County (Ft Worth), Host of Podcast "Mayhem in the Morgue”, Lecturer: Burnett School of Medicine at TCU (Texas Christian University) Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast, author of newly released novel “It Started With A Whisper,”   robshuter.substack.com, former publicist of Sean Combs, IG: @naughtygossip Dave Mack -  Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. 15 times major golf championship. The Works, the PGA, Pebble Beach, the Masters, Tiger Woods, arrest. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories.
Starting point is 00:00:28 I want to thank you for being with us. Tiger Woods and the Cats. The Pocke, the Big House. That's right. Golf legend. Tiger Woods arrest. Straight out to Dave Matt Crime Stories, investigative reporter.
Starting point is 00:00:45 What this time? Nancy, Friday afternoon, around 2 o'clock, Tiger Woods is driving his range rover near his home on Jupiter Island, Florida. He's on a small two-lane road, and he decides to pass a truck carrying a trailer. As he goes to speed up to get around the trailer, he clips it on the back, causing his range rover to flip on its side and slide. Tiger climbs out of the passenger side window, and of course, police are called, and he appeared, disheveled, not able to really make a lot of sense.
Starting point is 00:01:21 But, you know, they didn't smell alcohol in his breath, Nancy. Tiger Woods, golf legend, now facing a legal dog fight against Florida. prosecutors, will they, quote, make an example out of him? What really happened? This is what I do know. I do know, and correct me if I'm wrong, Dave Mack. He refused a urinalysis. Law enforcement that came to the scene, believe, and state in police reports, they believed that he was under the influence, not of alcohol, but some sort of drug, be it prescribed or not. Isn't that true? Absolutely. He did take a breathalyzer, Nancy. He took a breathalyzer test and blew 0.00. That is why after a roadside limited sobriety test, detectives determined he was under the influence of
Starting point is 00:02:22 something. But Tiger Woods refuses to do the blood test. Florida, that's a misdemeanor. So he gets a charge for not taking the blood test, and they are charging him with driving under the influence for failing at the roadside. Sobridey checkpoint. Dave Mack, I believe he refused to give a urine sample twice, but you're right. He refused it on the roadside, and he refused it at the jail. That in itself is an infraction of your driving privileges. Here's my concern. I love Tiger Woods. I always root for Tiger Woods. I can never get the image of him coming up on the last hole. He'll be wearing a red shirt. His dad in life would be wearing a red shirt and they would meet.
Starting point is 00:03:14 And the dad would walk the course with him. Remember that? That has always been in my mind. And I remember distinctly his first golf. competition after his father had passed away, he walked at the hill and there was no dad. And I and every other commentator noticed it. It's very much etched into everyone's mind. He is a media darling.
Starting point is 00:03:47 Everybody loves Tiger Woods. But this is what I cannot ignore. Let's see his history. Put it up. This is by far not the first time. Tiger Woods has had a, let me just say, that's not his driving history. Put up his driving history. I can only vamp so long waiting for you to push the right button.
Starting point is 00:04:08 This is not by far his first driving infraction, and that is certainly a euphemism. 2009, these are the ones we know of. The fire hydrant crash. He collided with a fire hydrant and a tree after leaving his own home. Can't get away from that. D.U.I. Number one. A sleep behind the wheel. Driving under the influence doesn't refer just to alcohol. It's the influence of drugs or alcohol. 2021, 87 miles an hour. And what I recall off the top of my head was a 45 MPH zone. In that case to Dr. Kendall joining us, renowned medical examiner out of Tarrant County, that's Fort Worth,
Starting point is 00:05:04 never a lack of business at the morgue. He is an esteemed lecturer at the Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, and he is the star of Mayhem in the morgue, a hit podcast. Dr. Kendall Crowns, do you recall what happened to Tiger's leg, Tiger Woods's leg, in that incident? he was this close to having his leg amputated. Why? So in that when he had massive fracturing of, I believe, his tibia and fibula,
Starting point is 00:05:37 that actually ended up having to be, have a rod put in place, which means these fractures were so severe that the bones were not connecting anymore or a compound-type fracture, which if you push that a little bit further, the muscle and the skin are the only thing holding the leg into place. So potentially his leg could have been completely ripped off in that accident, and he had to have significant surgery to repair it. Okay, you're going too fast for us mere mortals. Can you take it more slowly and explain to me why Tiger Woods?
Starting point is 00:06:12 And he has said this. That's where I'm getting it. This close to having his leg amputated. I mean, that would have taught me stay away from the drugs and the alcohol. But it didn't. Okay, slow it down for us and explain what happened in that incident. So in that incident, he had what is called a compound fracture of his tibbean fibula, which are the two bones in your lower leg. And a compound fracture means they're completely separated off of each other instead of being close to one another.
Starting point is 00:06:44 So they had to use rods to repair it. But the problem is, is when you get those compound type fractures, all that's keeping your leg together is your skin and muscle and your vascular. And if those get torn even further, your leg completely comes off because really your bones are what's keeping your leg together. And once those are fractured and displaced, the only thing left keeping it together is your skin and muscle. And it doesn't take much force to rip those apart.
Starting point is 00:07:16 So he was really close to having an amputation at that moment. Dr. Kendall Crowns, this reminds me of the O.J. Simpson murder trial where Nicole Brown's head was only still attached to her neck because of the little bit of skin in the back, her everything, the bone, the muscle, the everything was severed. And you're telling me in this case with Tiger Woods, it was just the skin and the blood vessels holding his leg on his body? And the muscle, yes, more likely than not. That's all that was keeping him intact
Starting point is 00:07:57 because the bones were completely fractured. Golf legend Tiger Woods arrest for a car crash in Florida, at least the fourth auto-related incident of his, the second in which he's charged with DUI, and DUI is drugs or alcohol. According to the police report, he showed signs of impairment and was arrested there at the scene. He struck another vehicle.
Starting point is 00:08:23 He was trying to pass. Not just a vehicle, but a vehicle dragging a vehicle behind it. His Land Rover rolls over, and he's not far from home, as was the case in a prior incident. He did a breathalyzer. It's negative. He refused a urine test. Why? Why refused the urine test?
Starting point is 00:08:47 He refused to submit to a lawful test. That is a misdemeanor. Now, back in 2017, that's when he is found asleep at the wheel engine running in a traffic lane, damage to the driver's side. At that time, he stated he had taken a mix of prescription painkillers. He said he had a bad reaction. Yeah, that bad reaction was he fell asleep at the wheel and hit something. Nobody really knows what. So Dave Matt, was that his first driving infraction that we know of?
Starting point is 00:09:30 Well, the 2009 infraction is the first one we know of, Nancy, and that was the fire hydrant collision at 2.30 in the morning. That's with his first wife, you know, Elle catches him outside and has to beat the back window in with a golf club. This was right outside the house when that actually happened. And he had a bloody lip, blood in his mouth. The next one was 2017. And Nancy, that crash there, that DUI in 2017, he had, Tiger Woods had a lot of medication in his system, a lot of different types of medication, including Vicodin, Dilaudid, X, Ambien. and typical marijuana.
Starting point is 00:10:17 I'm sure that Well, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Dave, Matt, don't just roll it off. Okay, you said Vicodin, dilaudid, I heard pot.
Starting point is 00:10:32 Was there a pot in the system? Yeah, there was. Okay, what else? Vicodin, Dilaudid, Zanax, and Ambien, beyond the pot. Yeah, all at the same time. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.
Starting point is 00:10:55 Vikin Diladid, Zanex, and Ambien, beyond the pot. To Dr. Kendall Crowns, could you explain which each of those substances are? Certainly. So, Vicodin is hydrocodone and acetaminophen together. Hydrocodone being an opioid, acetaminavin being like Tylenol or an analgesic. Dilaudid is also known as hydromorphone. Again, it's another one in the opioid category, which would go along with the hydrocodone. Xanax is an anti-anxiety drug that's a benzodiazepine, also known as Alprazlam. So it kind of sedates you.
Starting point is 00:11:33 And then, of course, Ambien is used for insomnia. All four of these medications together would be a very bad mixture that we see in drug overdoses quite common. And it's not something that you want to put together or mix commonly because you can eat. easily overdose. And what they usually do is cause drowsiness or sleepiness which would it cause him to crash his car. Straight out to dr. Bethany Marshall joining us renowned psychoanalyst she is the author of deal breakers you can see her now on bravo and peacock and find her a dr. bethany marshall.com. Dr. Bethany that's a lot of drugs some prescribed some illegal what do you make of it?
Starting point is 00:12:22 Well, I have so many thoughts about this. One of the things we see with athletes is that they have a lot of injuries over time. And because of that, they might be prescribed opiates, which then begins the process of an addiction. People can become addicted to opiates very easily and the benzodiazepines like the Ambien. Often with opiates, there's a nodding off quality. Like they'll be awake one minute and they will just nod out. Okay. So in the 2009 DUI, it was fascinating as I covered that with you, Nancy.
Starting point is 00:12:53 I remember being in the waiting room or the green room at CNN and all of Tiger Woods girlfriends were coming in. So I was able to hear all the behind-scenes stories from them. But what was clear was he took Ambien at 2009, fell asleep. His phone kept blowing up. Elon Nordigran looked in the phone and saw that there were all these girls. She grabs one of his golf clubs. I don't think she hit him with it,
Starting point is 00:13:21 but she grabbed him, woke him up. He ran out the door on Ambien, climbed into a golf cart and hit a tree. So you already have, you know, the benzos in his system, poor judgment, impulsivity. And then you see the next one, he just kind of nods off in the car.
Starting point is 00:13:40 By the third time where he almost had to have his leg amputated, he's really escalating in his behavior. And I think the layering on of all these medications, my guess is that he would take one, doesn't feel high enough, and then would then add another one in, still doesn't have the desired effect.
Starting point is 00:13:59 If you've ever heard of the term chasing that first high, it's the term when people suffering from substance use disorders try to create that initial euphoric effect when they first take a drug. And that's why they take more and more, and eventually, I think what Dr. Kendall Crowns is referring to in terms of in terms of overdoses, I call it pulling a Heath Ledger
Starting point is 00:14:24 because pretty much your breathing is suppressed and you just drift out, drift out of this world. And then that's it. And so at this point, he's kind of lost a sense of where he is, who he is, how much he has taken. I guess he's just sober enough to say he wants to refuse the urinalysis, but he's definitely, extremely impaired. You know, remember Dr. Bethany, after the incident in 21 where he shattered his
Starting point is 00:14:52 leg, he had to have a hospital bed put in his home, and he was completely immobilized for three months. I think that would have taught most people stay away from the booze and the drugs. on the other hand, his leg had been shattered and the pain must have been intense. And it's probably ongoing forever for the rest of his life. Yeah, I'm thinking that what might have happened is we don't know of any rehabs or I haven't heard of any or any kind of treatment he's entered. Yes. In 2017, he went into a drug addiction facility, Dr. Bethany, 2017.
Starting point is 00:15:34 Well, good for him. But in that drug addiction facility, you know, if his leg was almost, amputated, they would have to prescribe opiates, pain medication, maybe morphine. So perhaps paradoxically, the accident re-addicted him by reintroducing him to these kinds of pain medications. Oh, these substances act on the reward centers of the brain, which becomes a powerful motivator for taking more and more and more substances until the person is completely addicted. Joining us now out of New York, PR guru to the stars and celebrities. Rob Shooter. He is also the author of a brand new book. It started with a whisper that is now number one on the Amazon charts for new releases. You can find him at robshooter.substack.com.
Starting point is 00:16:27 Rob, if and when will the public get fed up with second chances for Tiger Woods? When? I think it's happening, Nancy. I, I, I, I, I, really do think it's happening. There's an epidemic of drugs, of substance abuse amongst the rich and the famous and the powerful. And what the sad story here is that not only has Tiger not learned his lesson, he's continuing to put other people at risk here. If he wants to do drugs and stay home and pass out, up to him. He can live that life. He's got plenty of money. He doesn't need to worry about going to work tomorrow. However, to get in a car, to drive on public streets, to put other people at this danger is so galling to me, is so wrong to me. And I think that's what the public is going to get sick of. Not Tiger. If he wants to kill himself, if he wants
Starting point is 00:17:24 to mess of his own life, that's up to him. However, he can't take us down with him. That's what's going to stick. He is a media darling. Everyone has a soft spot in their heart for Tiger Woods. watched him grow up and become the champion that he is. You said he hasn't learned his lesson, but apparently he learned not to take a urinalysis. Yeah, really good point, Nancy. So he learned the law here or maybe how to avoid the law. He knew not to take that test, and you've got to ask why. This is not a dumb person.
Starting point is 00:17:58 I've met Tiger. I've interviewed him. He's a very, very smart person who has worked extremely. hard to get where he is, but he's also too riddled with demons, and he's never, ever really dealt with them, and it feels crisis after crisis. He just picks himself up and moves on. Maybe this time will be the final warning, however, my experience with celebrity is that it won't be Nancy. We're going to be talking about this again, and I fear sooner than later. Well, I get a lot of my sports news from Dave Portnoy at Barstool Sports.
Starting point is 00:18:33 Portnoy is tearing into Woods and demanding he go to jail, quote, you're going to kill somebody. So here's my next question to you. Rob Schuter, have you noticed how the media and the public turn a blind eye to Tiger Woods? But if it's someone, let's just say, Britney Spears, for instance, they go, hog wild trying to crucify her. And I'm not saying she should get special treatment. I'm saying I see a difference in the way she's treated and the way he's treated. There's no doubt, Nancy, it's a double standard here. Is it because he's a sport star rather than being a fiction? Is it because he's a man rather than being a woman? I don't know if I know the answer to that. But I do agree with you, Nancy.
Starting point is 00:19:29 The recent... I'm just a trial lawyer. You're the PR guru. You're the one with the number one book on Amazon. It started with a whisper. Don't pontificate and throw the question back at me. I want an answer. You know the answer.
Starting point is 00:19:49 What is the answer? Why is he treated with Kig gloves? And she's thrown under the bus. I think it's because it's easier to punch Britney Spears. Brittany is out there more sloppy, more messy. She posts these videos. Tiger's a very private person. So I think with Tiger, he's managed to keep this illusion that he's still the guy that we want him to be.
Starting point is 00:20:13 Where in reality, we now know that is not the case. You're right. She is being vilified because she dresses the way she does and puts videos of herself, buck naked, twirling around on Insta, while he remains. dignified out of his gourd at home on the sofa. He's a man. She's a woman. She's a mother. It goes back to Dr. Bethany Marshall, the whole Madonna whore thing. It's heartbreaking. Sorry, Bethany. So I'm spoon-feeding you here, Sheeter. How did your book get to number one on Amazon when I'm
Starting point is 00:20:50 having to spoon-feed you? What the difference is? She wears a camisole that falls off when she dances. He stays behind closed doors on his sofa high as a kite. I mean, really? We saw it endlessly when Britney Spears, and this is bad, drives over the center lane. And then like three seconds later, here comes the car. We don't see all those videos and pictures of Tiger Woods crash into a fixed object for Pete's sake. Really? Out of all the places you can go, you crash into a fixed object. Now we've got him passing a big truck dragging a vehicle behind him. What if that had had a rollover?
Starting point is 00:21:34 And all those people died? Did you think about that, shooter? I do, I do, Nancy. We're agreeing on this here. I think I've made these points. There's lots of factors. He is a man. And I think, too, that he keeps his private life private.
Starting point is 00:21:49 Brittany is much more out there. Brittany is somebody who enjoys the spotlight. She enjoys social media. He does not. If you try to follow him on social media, good luck. He doesn't pose a lot of stuff. He posts very, very carefully curated photographs, normally of him on a golf course, always with children, always looking respectable. So the image he's putting out to the world is the one he wants us to believe. And we have, Nancy, we believe these photographs were seen. They're partially true.
Starting point is 00:22:17 They're not lies. That's part of his life. But he also, too, has an incredible, messy, sloppy, part of his life, of his history, and that he doesn't want us to talk about. However, now because of what's happened, it's the only thing we're going to be talking about. It doesn't matter how many of these beautiful, beautiful shots he puts up. Now we're going to be talking about what is really going on and how did he fool us for so long. Well, I haven't been fooled since day one. You loved him, Nancy. Day one. You said you loved him, Nancy. I do, but I don't. I do love Tiger Woods, but I don't love vehicular homicides in any other jurisdiction. This would be what we call an HV habitual violator.
Starting point is 00:23:09 And there is no way when I prosecuted that an HV walked free because an HV means that you've had DUI's driving offenses time after time after time after time. and you've always walked free. But then, when you're charged with HV habitual violator, you're not walking free again. Now, Portnoy's saying it, I'm saying it. Why is he not behind bars? And it pains me. I wanted to see his big comeback at the Masters.
Starting point is 00:23:41 I wanted him to succeed, overcome everything that has happened to him. With all the public support, he does it again. Could you explain another thing to me? Rob Sheeter, why? is Tiger Woods set to profit. You heard me right. Profit from the DUI arrest
Starting point is 00:24:01 because fans are clamoring, clamoring. They're fighting to buy the polo shirt he was wearing when he flipped his SUV and nearly caused a vehicular homicide.
Starting point is 00:24:18 Why do they want the shirt? It's horrific. We see this with pop stars too when they when they get in trouble, their music charts, when they do something awful, their t-shirt sell. And so he's a brand, Nancy. He's not just a golfer. He's one of the first billionaires in the business of sports. And he got there by being an incredible marketer. You can buy so many of his products. I went on eBay this morning and checked and his stuff that has absolutely spiked the clothes that he wears. Now, people want. I think they want to support him. I think people
Starting point is 00:24:53 want to support him. I also think too, this is a way of people not believing what's in front of their very eyes. It's really hard to get people to get angry about... Shooter, did you buy one of the shirts? I did not, Nancy, no. His clothing brand is Sunday red and it is the shirt is sold out. Let's see the mugshot. He is wearing one of his branded shirts. $125, I sound like a commercial. It's a distinctive blue polo shirt. He was wearing it at the time of his DUI arrest, and it is sold out. After all of his fans flocked to his website to get the item of clothing.
Starting point is 00:25:38 Now, I want you, Rob Schuter, to hear this from the Martin County Sheriff. As he was trying to move to the side of the road, our investigation revealed as follows shortly again. The investigation revealed as follows. Shortly again before two, the pressure cleaner truck, truck pulling a trailer, a small trailer, was northbound on South Beach Road and was pulling kind of to turn into a driveway. It was slowing down, starting to turn into a driveway. And the driver of that vehicle looked in his mirror and saw a land rover, a dark colored land rover, overtaking him at high speeds, and I don't know those speeds. The land rover kept overtaking. him. He saw it coming, so he tried to edge off to the side of the road, but this is a small two-lane road, and there was no shoulder for this pressure cleaner gentleman to get off the side of the road. So Woods is essentially driving the vehicle off the side of the road. Listen to more. As he was trying to move to the side of the road, the land rover overtook him at the last minute, swerved to avoid a collision, but clipped the back end of the train.
Starting point is 00:26:53 of the pressure cleaner apparatus, listed to the side and then rolled on the driver's door north past the truck that had just avoided the crash with. The sheriff's doing it too. Did you hear that shooter? Oh, he just clipped it. He rear-ended it. It was a big wreck.
Starting point is 00:27:14 Oh, but he clipped it. It makes it sound so innocuous. I know, but that sheriff would not talk about you or me like that, Nancy. It's a different justice. for people that are rich and famous. I do get it. I've been starstruck. I've met people that I really wanted to like,
Starting point is 00:27:30 that I think I know because I've seen them on television or maybe on stage. And so it's real, Nancy. It's definitely real out there. People get starstruck and they give people the benefit of the doubt. But if anybody else had done what Tiger has done repeatedly, they would not be in the same position as him today.
Starting point is 00:27:50 And so maybe finally, if there's enough hours, rage here, maybe things will change. I'm not convinced. What do you think? Shooter, I could listen to you go on and on and on about all your famous clients and how awesome they are and how you're so starstruck. Have you ever attended a DUI crash autopsy shooter? Because that might just change your mind about your starstruck. I haven't, Nancy. I haven't. Well, maybe you should. And maybe Tiger Woods should. Here's the sheriff. The individual driving that Land Rover was able to crawl out the passenger door of the car and was identified to be Mr. Tiger Woods. Our DUI investigators came to the scene here and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment.
Starting point is 00:28:37 They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account. But they did do some in-depth roadside test and when it was determined he was placed under arrest and taken to the Martin County. jail. And here's another coenky dink. There have been instances where even though Tiger
Starting point is 00:29:00 Woods has gone to the hospital, nobody did a blood test. Never heard of that before. But, I want you to hear what else the sheriff said. Can I give you a general idea of how fast and the answer is I can't, but I can tell you this, it's a 30-mile-hour speed limit.
Starting point is 00:29:16 And when I show you the photos, they kind of speak for themselves. You can see where he clip the back of the trailer. You can see where he rolled. And then as he decelerates, sliding down on the driver's door of the vehicle, you can see that he slid for a pretty decent space before he came to a stop. I have never had a case like this where an accident reconstructionist or a member of law enforcement, Rob Sheeter, could not tell me how fast they estimate the perp is driving.
Starting point is 00:29:44 But now it's so mysterious. Nobody can tell me how fast they think Woods was driving. You want to tell me that that big, honking SUV he was driving doesn't have a black box, doesn't have a nav system. To tell me how fast he was driving, it does. It does, Nancy. It absolutely does. And so we have to ask here what is going on. And is there a different level of justice for famous people?
Starting point is 00:30:08 I think the answer is an obvious, obvious, yes. It's very easy here to get angry with Tiger Wood. And we should be, but we should also be really angry with the system that is allowing him because of his fame, because his popularity. It's allowing him to get away with it, Nancy. It really is. Why else would he be getting away with this? He's not getting away with it
Starting point is 00:30:30 because he gets caught and held accountable. He keeps getting away with it. And we have to ask why. What's your advice to words tonight? You need to get to rehab. You need to get serious. You need to say sorry. You need to own this.
Starting point is 00:30:44 And you need to get from behind that car. He has plenty of money, hire a driver, never ever get in a car again. trust of you know shooter this reminds me also of the Winona Ryder case I love her remember when she shoplifted
Starting point is 00:30:59 and instead of saying okay you know what I did it why did I do it I don't know I've got a problem I've got money I could pay for this but I did it and for all of you girls that look up to me don't do this but instead she gets the best lawyer she can find Mark Geragos and they go to
Starting point is 00:31:15 trial and she's proven to be a liar and it nearly ruined her career So here, I think, and I'm certainly not a PR guru to the stars like you, Rob Shooter, but I think he needs to say, yes, I did it, punish me. I want to change my life, and I don't want all of my fans to emulate me. It's always the best response. Own up to it.
Starting point is 00:31:38 If you did it, I believe he did do it. It's hard for me to imagine how he's going to talk himself out of this. If you did it, the evidence is there. Admit it, apologize, and make sure you don't do it again. It's not that hard. What is hard is that human beings are involved, egos are involved, money's involved. He's getting pressure now from the companies that he owns. And I predict Nancy that he won't do the right thing, that he will fight this.
Starting point is 00:32:04 And maybe he will be proven to be a liar. I would overrun. Rob Sheeter, author of number one bestseller on Amazon in new releases. It started with a whisper. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. High profile defense attorney Troy Slayton joining us from the LA jurisdiction, renowned criminal attorney. Okay, you've had to defend a lot of DUI charges and you've been successful. What can you tell me beside deny, deny, deny, and delay, delay, delay?
Starting point is 00:32:46 Well, I can tell you, Nancy, because I'm a certified standardized field sobriety test instructor, which means I I'm certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to teach police officers how to administer these tests. And so I can tell you that when the sheriff says that he admitted or that the officer in the field administered field sobriety tests, roadside tests that he called them, those have nothing to do with drugs. Those have only been scientifically validated as to alcohol.
Starting point is 00:33:22 So the officers then asked them to do a roadside breath test and then a test back at the station, triple zeros, 0.00 blood alcohol and they suspected drugs. So at that point, if they believe that he's impaired by something other than alcohol, they're allowed to ask for a test of his blood or breath. I mean, I'm sorry, of his blood or urine. In this case, they asked for urine and he refused it. recently in 2000, last year in 2025 in October, Florida passed a new law that made refusal of the urine test a crime in and of itself, a misdemeanor. But that will be way less than being found guilty of DUI drugs. So he may have done the strategically right thing that will allow, will allow his lawyers to fight the DUI charge. Troy, if you were defending this case, what would you do?
Starting point is 00:34:22 what would you tell him to do right now? Well, I would tell him to possibly go to some AA or NA meetings. So that way, at his arraignment, which is going to happen in the next couple weeks, he could show the court that he's not a danger, that the bail should be set what it normally is in a first offense case. Now you say, but Troy, he had a conviction in 2017. In Florida, there's only a five-year look back as far as sentencing for DUIs in the state of Florida. It'll be considered a second on his criminal record.
Starting point is 00:35:02 However, for sentencing purposes, this would just be a first offense. So I would tell him to go to get some NA and AA meetings so that way it can look like he's doing something. But then his attorneys are going to file a motion to suppress evidence because he was held longer than the Florida statute allows, which is eight hours or until you blow below a 0.05, whichever comes first. They kept him for the full eight hours, which means that his detention at the police station may have been illegal. Therefore, any questions that he was asked, anything, any drug recognition. a trailer dragging a rig behind him off the road. He's obviously high-a-kite.
Starting point is 00:35:56 He was only behind bars for eight hours, and I'm hearing you whine. He had seven surgeries. Do you think, and these surgeries were potentially failed back surgeries. Do you think someone is going to be able to do roadside gymnastics after seven failed back surgeries? You think that that might make somebody look, look, No, I'm not asking him to do a backflip. I'm asking to take out his penis and T.T. into a cup. You don't have to be Nadiqominiichi to do that.
Starting point is 00:36:29 There's a debate in Florida, in the Florida courts about whether or not it warrant. You size track that question. No, I'm talking about urine, about having to pull out your pee-pee, as you say, in front of the police officers. I didn't say pee-pee. I said penis. Oh. You said pee-pee. I don't know why, but go ahead. In any event, Nancy, there's a debate in Florida whether or not there's a warrant requirement for a urine test,
Starting point is 00:36:56 which is less intrusive than a blood test because they're not sticking needles into you. And it's less intrusive, it's more intrusive rather than a breath test. But in this case, I'm really curious about why the police officers, if they really suspected drugs, why didn't they get a warrant for his blood? And then we would know the exact quantitative amounts that were in his system. Because right now we have no idea what, if any, drugs he had in his system. And there he is. And therefore his lawyers are going to argue.
Starting point is 00:37:33 Why didn't they the police get a warrant for blood? It's their fault. Yeah. Tiger Woods ran a rig off the road. No. I'm not saying that. I'm just saying it's, I want to go. They could have done a better investigation here.
Starting point is 00:37:44 Yeah. It's their fault. Good. luck with that at trial. To Dr. Bethany Marshall, we are now learning that one of the reasons Tiger Woods refuses to hire a driver, which he obviously can afford, is reportedly he wants his privacy. He's not going to get much of that in the pokey. No, he's not, Nancy. And I saw this pattern of low conscientiousness plus being sneaky about skirting around the rules, which is what he did, low levels of conscientiousness and driving while in talks.
Starting point is 00:38:16 however refusing the urinalysis. I saw this in talking to the many women that he had affairs with back in 2009 in the green room at CNN and HLN. One of the things that they all reported was that he would invite them over to his home or he would hang out with them, but he wouldn't spend any money on them because he didn't want any kind of a money trail that would tie him to them. And one woman said she spent the afternoon with him and she was so high there was no food that she actually said, you need to order me a subway sandwich. She was so starved.
Starting point is 00:38:54 So you could see the little level of conscientiousness in that he's having these affairs, but he's sneaky enough to get around the system by not spending any money. So it could be that this so-called love of privacy is maybe another form of sneakiness or stealth where he hides his reputation, or really the,
Starting point is 00:39:16 messy parts. You know, Nancy, we all have messy parts, right? But hopefully they're integrated enough into our everyday life that we let the people we love look at us and say, look, you need to get some help. But he has completely camouflaged it. And that's why we love him or you, everybody else on this panel, I don't know that much about him, except that he appears lovable because he's handsome. He looks intact. And the privacy is a very strong barrier that keeps this messy part from leaking out. Back to Dr. Kendall Crowns is joining us out of Tarrant County. You're looking at Vicodin, Zanex, Ambien, Delaudid, Pot.
Starting point is 00:39:57 How difficult is it, Dr. Kendall Crowns, to kick an addiction to any of those medications? The problem is his, whatever he was taking him for, the long-term pain, etc., has resulted in him feeling the need to have these drugs to even feel. normal. So it could take a very lengthy time period weeks slash months to get past this addiction. And the problem is, is because his wealth and his fame, there's always going to be someone out there that's willing to find those drugs for him or get those drugs and give them to them. So kicking the habit's going to be very difficult.
Starting point is 00:40:35 A, the penalty for a first DUI, imprisoned him at six months at a fine. first refusal to submit to a test 60 days and a fine. There's also penalty for property damage. That depends on how much damage is done. I don't think there's any way that a judge can treat this as a first DUI. We wait as justice unfolds, but will it? Tonight we remember an American hero officer Terry Bennett, Metropolitan PD, D.C. Just 32, killed in the line of duty, leaving behind a wife now widow and children sentenced to life without dad.
Starting point is 00:41:29 American hero officer Terry Bennett, Nancy Grace, signing off. Goodbye, friend.

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