Woods receives traffic citation; investigation concluded
Tiger Woods received a traffic citation for careless driving that will cost him $164 and four points on his Florida license, but the Florida Highway Patrol said during a news conference Tuesday it had no evidence to pursue any criminal charges in connection with Woods's single-car crash outside his Windermere, Fla., mansion Thanksgiving night.
"With the issuance of this citation, the Florida Highway Patrol has concluded the investigation," FHP troop commander Cindy Williams said without taking any questions.
Said Spokeswoman Kim Montes: "The FHP is not pursing criminal charges in this matter, nor is there any testimony or any other evidence to support any other charges of any kind, other than the charge of careless driving."
Montes added that police investigators had "insufficient evidence" to seek a subpoena of Woods's medical records and said "there are no claims of domestic violence by any individual."
The announcement brings to close at least the legal portion of an incident that has captivated many in the nation because of its curious circumstances and Woods's refusal to appear in public or meet with investigators.
"We're pleased with the outcome," said Woods's attorney, Mark NeJame. "I've got no further comment except: it's over."
The accident occurred at 2:25 a.m. just outside Woods's driveway in one of Orlando's most exclusive suburbs, and Woods declined three times to meet with investigators. Woods's wife, Elin Nordegren, told police on the scene she pulled Woods out of the car after smashing a rear window with a golf club, but she also declined to meet with FHP investigators to give a further statement.
An attorney for the man that placed the 911 call said before the news conference that the caller and two family members on the scene did not suspect domestic violence played any part in the accident, which left Woods briefly unconscious and with blood on his lips and mouth.
Attorney Bill Sharpe said Linda Adams and her two adult sons, Jerome and Jarius Adams, rushed out as soon as they heard the accident.
"They heard the crash and went out and called 911 and rendered aid to Mr. Woods while he was waiting for the ambulance to get there," said Bill Sharpe, who said he has long been the family's attorney, by cell phone. "They told him not to move, and they brought a pillow and blanket out and tried to make him comfortable."
Sharpe said Woods' wife appeared "understandably upset about the accident." Sharpe said one of the sons immediately called 911.
"They did not feel like there had been any sort of domestic violence or any of that," Sharpe said. "Mrs. Woods seemed like she was very concerned about Tiger. There was no animosity. It did not seem like there was any fight."
Sharpe said the only apparent injuries Woods had were the scratches on his mouth and lips and the Adams family assumed he had hit his head on the windshield or steering wheel when his car hit a tree in their yard.
"Mr. Woods's injuries were consistent with him being in that accident, not a fight," Sharpe said.
Two of the family members provided the police with written statements. Woods said the Adamses had visited Woods and his wife but weren't close friends. The Adams's house sits directly next to Woods's estate on a lake. The family patriarch, Jerome Adams Sr., is an Orlando physician who was at home but did not go outside when the accident occurred.
"That's an exclusive community," he said. "You don't have block parties, but they visited with each other. They didn't run in the same circles ..... [but] They were trying to be good neighbors."
Montes, meantime, said the police did not treat this investigation differently than any other.
"Despite the celebrity status of Mr. Woods, the FHP has completed its investigation in the same professional manner that it strives to complete every traffic-crash investigation," Montes said.
Source: Washington Post
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