Crime & Safety
More Details Surface About Michael Phelps' Second DUI Arrest
See where Phelps had been drinking, and what happened when he was asked to stand on one leg.
Michael Phelps may be the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, but the Towson High grad is said to have refused a simple physical exercise Tuesday when pulled over near the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer stopped Phelps at approximately 1:40 a.m. Tuesday after noticing his white Land Rover speeding and drifting out of its lane by the tunnel.
Phelps, 29, smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes as well as “mush mouth,” the police officer wrote, according to CBS DC.
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The Olympian told the officer he was coming from the Horseshoe Casino, where he had three or four drinks, the last of which he said was two hours before, according to ESPN.
He went to the casino—which opened in late August off Russell Street—at approximately 5 p.m. and stayed for about eight hours, drinking beer and gambling in a private VIP room, TMZ Sports reported.
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During a series of sobriety tests, Phelps struggled with the first two (eye movement and walking heel-to-toe) and refused the third, which was to stand on one leg, according to charging documents published by WJZ.
When the officer instructed him to stand on one leg, Phelps said: “That’s not happening,” and was then placed under arrest, according to charging documents.
Phelps blew 0.14 into the breathalyzer, the charging documents state. The legal blood alcohol level for driving in Maryland is 0.08.
As a result, Phelps was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding maximum speed (84 mph in 45 mph zone) and crossing double-painted lanes in the tunnel, according to online court records.
This was Phelps’ second DUI. He was 19 when he received the first, near Salisbury University on the Eastern Shore.
Phelps, who grew up in Rodgers Forge and graduated from Towson High School in 2003, now lives in the Canton area. He was pulled over approximately 10 minutes from home.
According to A&E, Phelps is no stranger to police—his dad was a state trooper.
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