Woods Faces Separate Charge Under New Florida Law After Refusing DUI Test in Martin County

Tiger Woods faces at least three criminal charges in Martin County — including one triggered by a Florida law that took effect last year — after a Martin County Sheriff's Office deputy concluded the golfer's "normal faculties were impaired" following a crash on Jupiter Island last Friday afternoon.

The arrest affidavit, released Tuesday by the Martin County Sheriff's Office, provides the most granular account yet of what deputies observed at the scene on the beachside residential road where Woods' Land Rover collided with a truck hauling a trailer before rolling onto its driver's side.

According to the affidavit, the responding deputy observed profuse sweating, bloodshot and glassy eyes with dilated pupils, slow and lethargic movements, and persistent hiccupping. During field sobriety exercises, Woods continuously moved his head despite repeated instructions to keep it still. Deputies found two white pills identified as hydrocodone — an opioid painkiller — in his pocket.

Woods told the deputy he had not consumed alcohol. When asked about prescription medications, he said, "I take a few." A Breathalyzer test confirmed no alcohol. But Woods refused a urine test, a decision that now carries independent criminal weight.

Under a change to Florida law enacted last year, refusing a law enforcement officer's lawful request for a breath, blood, or urine test is a misdemeanor — even on a first offense. That statute transforms what has historically been an administrative penalty, a license suspension, into a prosecutable criminal count. Woods now faces charges of DUI with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.

The crash itself unfolded just after 2 p.m. Friday. According to the affidavit, Woods was driving behind the truck when the trailer slowed for a right turn into a driveway. Woods told the deputy he had looked down at his cell phone and did not notice the trailer decelerating. The front right of his SUV struck the left rear fender of the trailer. The truck driver, whose vehicle sustained an estimated $5,000 in damage, confirmed his turn signal was on. Neither Woods nor the truck driver was reported injured.

After the crash, the truck driver and a bystander helped Woods climb out through the passenger side. Woods, 50, told deputies he has undergone seven back surgeries and more than 20 operations on his leg — injuries consistent with the 2021 crash that doctors said came close to requiring amputation of his right leg. He was wearing a compression sock on his right knee at the time of Friday's arrest.

Woods was formally taken into custody just after 3 p.m. Deputies transported him to Cleveland Clinic ER South, where he refused medical treatment, before booking him into the Martin County Jail. He posted $1,150 bail and was released at approximately 11 p.m.

His arraignment is scheduled for April 23 in Martin County court. Online court records as of Tuesday did not list an attorney of record for Woods. His agent, Mark Steinberg of Excel Sports, had not responded to media inquiries as of publication, and neither Woods' representatives nor the PGA Tour — where Woods sits on the board and chairs the competition restructuring committee — had issued a public statement.

Whether the Martin County State Attorney's Office pursues all available charges, or seeks a diversion agreement similar to the one reached after Woods' 2017 DUI arrest in Palm Beach County According to initial reports,, will be among the central questions heading into the April 23 hearing.

Body camera footage from the arrest is expected to be released this week, according to WPTV.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.