Michael Phelps admitted that he had three or four drinks at a new Baltimore casino before he was arrested and charged with DUI early Tuesday morning, according to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun.
Phelps’ blood alcohol level was at .14, almost double the .08 limit. A Maryland police officer asked Phelps to conduct three separate sobriety tests, and after failing the first two, Phelps declined to even attempt the third. The officer asked Phelps to stand on one leg and Phelps reportedly responded, “That’s not happening.”
He was officially charged for DUI, driving with excessive speed and crossing the double lane lines.
The officer saw Phelps’ Range Rover heading into a tunnel at 84 mph (in a 45 mph zone) and pulled him over after a toll plaza. The officer said he sensed a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from the vehicle," according to the documents. Phelps’ speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot.
The report noted that Phelps told the officer that his last drink had been around two hours prior to the stop, which, given his alcohol level, is tough to believe if he only had three to four drinks.
After failing the balance test, Phelps was arrested and brought to the Maryland Transportation Authority police station. He was released after being given a breathalyzer test.
When news broke on Tuesday morning, Phelps apologized on Twitter but said he understood if his words rang hollow. It’s the 22-time Olympic medalist’s second DUI after an incident in 2004.
