Rodman pleads guilty to drunk driving

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- Dennis Rodman pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of

drunk driving in exchange for a sentence of three years of informal

probation and a three-month alcohol treatment program.

The flamboyant basketball star, who did not appear in court, also

pleaded guilty to driving without a valid driver’s license. As a part of

his sentence, Rodman, 39, must pay $2,000 in fees and observe a 90-day

restriction on his driver’s license, allowing him only to drive to and

from work and the treatment program.

Although a pretrial hearing was scheduled for Thursday, Rodman’s

attorney, Paul S. Meyer, entered the pleas in advance.

In a written statement, Rodman had no reaction to the sentence: “I

know some people were upset about the arrest, but I think the police were

just doing their job.”

Police arrested Rodman on Dec. 22 after he left a restaurant at South

Coast Plaza. A blood test found that the Newport Beach resident was

driving with a 0.15 blood-alcohol level, almost double the state’s legal

limit of 0.08.

If Rodman commits a misdemeanor or felony offense during his

probation, the court can revoke his probation and sentence him to one

year in jail, said Tony Ferrentino, a deputy district attorney.

Rodman received the standard terms for first-time offenders,

Ferrentino said.

“He didn’t receive any special benefit, nor was he punished for his

celebrity status,” Ferrentino said.