Former Colorado Rockies first baseman Todd Helton has entered a treatment program after he was cited earlier this month for driving under the influence in Tennessee, his attorney says.
Helton, 45, was cited by the Knox County (Tenn.) Sheriff’s Office for DUI on March 18. According to an accident report obtained by Denver7, officers responded to a single-vehicle accident southwest of Knoxville just before 6 p.m.
Helton’s truck had left the road and hit a telephone pole. Emergency responders were already tending to Helton once police arrived, according to the report.
Helton told officers he had taken an Ambien about four hours earlier while at home, though the report says that one of the responding officers “observed a plastic travel cup in the vehicle that had the odor of an alcoholic beverage inside of the cup.”
The report says that officers couldn’t conduct a field sobriety test or interview him because he was transported to a nearby hospital. The report says Helton was issued a misdemeanor citation for DUI since he had to be taken to the hospital.
The Colorado Rockies organization was saddened to hear about Todd Helton’s auto accident in Knoxville, Tenn. Driving under the influence is an offense we take very seriously.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies)
We are grateful for the first responders who ensured he got the care he needed, and we are further grateful that Todd is seeking treatment in a facility. Todd is family and the Rockies organization will always be here for him, as well as for the entire Helton family.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies)
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