Michael Phelps pleads guilty in DUI trial, receives one-year suspended sentence
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Version 0 of 1. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps pleaded guilty to a drunken-driving charge in Baltimore on Friday but avoided jail time. Baltimore District Court Judge Nathan Braverman handed down a one-year suspended prison sentence and 18 months of supervised probation after his Sept. 30 arrest. USA Today has more from the courtroom: Phelps was supported in the courtroom by his mother Debbie and former Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis. “I hope we don’t have this conversation again and I’m optimistic that we won’t have this conversation again,” Judge Nathan Braverman said after his sentencing in Baltimore District Court. Phelps was supported in the courtroom by his mother Debbie and former Baltimore Ravens star linebacker Ray Lewis. “I hope we don’t have this conversation again and I’m optimistic that we won’t have this conversation again,” Judge Nathan Braverman said after his sentencing in Baltimore District Court. According to USA Today, Phelps received probation before judgment, meaning his record will be cleared if he stays out of trouble over the course of his probation. The 18-time Olympic gold medal swimmer was caught driving 84 mph in a 45 mph zone along Interstate 395 in Baltimore at 1:40 a.m. When stopped, the athlete failed standard field sobriety tests and was taken in to police custody and later released. Phelps never denied the charges and instead took responsibility for them, posting various messages on his Twitter account, including one announcing that he would step away from swimming to attend a rehab program. It should be noted that USA Swimming also forced him away from swimming by suspending Phelps for six months. “Swimming is a major part of my life, but right now I need to focus my attention on me as an individual, and do the necessary work to learn from this experience and make better decisions in the future,” he wrote in two Tweets on Oct. 5. Phelps has had a history of troubles outside the pool. In 2004, a 19-year-old Phelps pleaded guilty to a DUI and was sentenced to 18 months’ probation. His punishment was less severe because he was a first-time offender. At 23, Phelps was photographed smoking was was presumed to be marijuana out of a bong at a party at the University of South Carolina in 2008. He was not brought up on any charges, but his reputation was tarnished. Much like how Phelps responded to his latest DUI, Phelps made a public apology, this time calling his actions “regrettable” and vowed not to let it happen again. Before the latest DUI charge, Phelps was making a comeback in the pool after a brief retirement. It is unclear whether Phelps will continue down that lane. Neither he nor USA Swimming has announced their plans for his participation in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. #Phelps joined AA and did intensive rehab program. Supervised probation will allow him to travel out of th country #WTOP — Kristi King (@kingWTOP) December 19, 2014 #Phelps joined AA and did intensive rehab program. Supervised probation will allow him to travel out of th country #WTOP — Kristi King (@kingWTOP) December 19, 2014 |