ORLANDO, Fla. — Tiger Woods was formally charged Tuesday with careless driving for the mysterious car crash outside his home the morning after Thanksgiving.
At a news conference Tuesday, Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Miller said Woods would be fined $164 for the crash in which he drove his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant, then a tree, shortly after leaving the driveway of his home in an exclusive subdivision.
The accident occurred about 2:30 a.m. and days after a tabloid reported that the married Woods was seen with another woman, leading to speculation that the crash was domestic-related. After the crash, Woods was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was released about 12 hours later.
Miller would not rule out the possibility that other factors — such as domestic violence or intoxication — might have been involved in the early-morning crash. But she said police did not have enough evidence to obtain a search warrant to seek Woods’ medical records.
“After reviewing the evidence available to us and complying with the state attorney’s office, we determined there was insufficient evidence to issue a subpoena to obtain additional medical evidence in the case,” she said.
Miller said she could not speak to the existence of any blood evidence, and that there was no accusations of domestic violence. Woods will be fined $164 and receive four points on his license.
The FHP’s findings came just an hour after a report from Us Weekly magazine linked Woods to Las Vegas cocktail waitress Jaimee Grubbs, who told the magazine she has been having an affair with Woods since 2007.
While the scrutiny had been on Rachel Uchitel, another woman who has repeatedly denied an affair with Woods, Us Weekly said it has hundreds of racy text messages from Woods to Grubbs, as well as a Nov. 24 voice mail that describes Woods talking about his wife being aware of the affair.
Earlier in the day, an attorney for Woods’ neighbors who made the initial 911 call described the crash scene.
Bill Sharpe, representing the Adams family, said that when the family arrived at the crash scene, Woods was already on the ground.
Sharpe said that Woods’ wife, Elin Nordegren, was concerned for Woods.
“They were comforting Mrs. Woods (Nordegren) because she was very upset,” Sharpe said. “Her attitude was consistent with her being concerned for her husband, and there was no indication there was a fight.”
