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Buccaneers Rookie Arrested for DUI
November 27, 2010
by K. McKinney
Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie receiver Mike Williams was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of driving under the influence. Williams was driving in east Hillsborough County, near U.S. 301 and Causeway Boulevard, allegedly speeding. He was pulled over for driving 57 mph in a 45 mph zone and weaving between lanes, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Two Breathalyzer tests showed Williams’ blood-alcohol level to be 0.065 and 0.061 percent. These measurements are below the threshold of 0.08 at which the state of Florida presumes a driver to be impaired.
Williams reportedly failed a field sobriety test, smelled of alcoholic beverages and had glassy eyes. The Sheriff’s Office said a urine test was conducted and results are pending. (A urine test is sometimes requested if law enforcement believes that the impairment is due a substance other than alcohol.)
The Buccaneers, who fined Williams for the arrest, reportedly conducted their own urinalysis after the incident and found no evidence of illegal drugs in the player’s system.
While breath analysis is not legally required for prosecution under Florida law, the blood-alcohol results below the 0.08 threshold certainly make the state’s case for DUI difficult. Urinalysis results do not necessarily indicate what substances are active in a driver’s system at the time of arrest. The test results generally take several weeks or months to obtain from the state laboratory.
We haven’t seen the field sobriety test details but would be very interested to know exactly how Williams performed in light of his breath analysis and the Bucs urinalysis. Should be interesting to see if Williams is ultimately charged – and, if so, which charges the prosecutors believe they can prove.