Hines Ward reached plea deal on DUI charge...

(Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors on Wednesday dropped a drunken driving charge against Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, who instead pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was sentenced to probation.

A Georgia judge ordered the National Football League star to serve 12 months of probation and perform 80 hours of community service, said Emily Gest, spokeswoman for the DeKalb County solicitor-general.

Ward, a 35-year-old, two-time Super Bowl champion, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol in the early morning hours of July 9. In a statement released at the time, he denied being impaired.

Prosecutors dropped the drunken driving charge in exchange for Ward's plea, Gest said. He also pleaded no contest to a charge of failing to maintain his lane, commonly known as swerving, according to a statement by the solicitor.

Ward was fined $2,000. He will have to undergo an evaluation for alcohol abuse and will be required to undergo any treatment recommended, the statement said.

He will be allowed to check in with his probation officer by phone or email, which is standard practice for defendants who live out of state.

Ward, a Georgia native, was drafted in 1998. He has been selected for the Pro Bowl four times and is a former Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Ward is the all-time leader in career catches for the Steelers.

DUI loophole?

King County better conduct some studies for the legislature before implementing this.

SPD seargent arrested for DUI and refused FSTs!

Another NFL DUI!

If I made millions, I would hire a driver, I'm just saying....

Move to eliminate Ignition Interlock Requirements for low-risk DUI offenders

Guilty Plea in Kirkland DUI arrest...

Man pleads guilty to fatal Kirkland DUI crash

Posted by Jennifer Sullivan on February 2, 2012 at 3:47 PM

Patrick Rexroat outside the King County Jail Court Room on July 27, 2011 (Jim Bates / THE SEATTLE TIMES).

A Snohomish man charged in the fatal alcohol-related crash in Kirkland last summer that killed Steven Lacey, a father and Google employee, has pleaded guilty.
Patrick Rexroat pleaded guilty today to vehicular homicide and reckless driving, according to King County prosecutors. He faces up to four years in prison when sentenced on March 9; prosecutors said they will recommend the high end of the sentencing range.
After slamming his SUV into Lacey’s car on July 24, Rexroat got out of his vehicle and “pounded on his chest like a gorilla,” according to a witness to the fatal crash.
In charging Rexroat, Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Miller cited Rexroat’s “flagrant disregard for the value of human life, coupled with clear indications of impairment” as reasons why he should be booked again into jail.
A State Patrol lab test found that Rexroat had a blood-alcohol level of 0.29 percent, or more than three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent, after the crash, authorities said. An initial test indicated that the level was four times the legal limit.
Troopers said Rexroat may have been chasing another car southbound on I-405 in a possible case of road rage when his SUV careened off an exit ramp at Northeast 85th Street and he lost control, crossing the center line of Northeast 85th and colliding with the BMW driven by Lacey.
Witness Patricia Kaiser said in an interview with The Times after the crash that she was just feet from the two cars when she saw Rexroat’s SUV fly around a corner and slam into Lacey’s BMW. The two cars briefly went airborne.
“I ran over to the BMW first because it was completely totaled,” Kaiser said. “I took [the driver's] pulse, and he was dead.”
Minutes later, Rexroat climbed from his vehicle and started wandering around, picking up parts of his SUV from the ground, she said.
“Eventually he came toward me. I told him don’t come toward me,” Kaiser said. “He just started pounding his chest like a gorilla. I was so upset. I knew the minute he got out of the car he was drunk. You could tell.”
The accident and others like it have led to efforts to increase penalties for vehicular homicide and vehicular assault.