WASHINGTON – Olympian Michael Phelps pleaded guilty Friday to drinking and driving in Baltimore.
He was sentenced to 18 months of probation. A one-year jail sentence was suspended. He is not allowed to use any alcohol.
Phelps, 29, appeared in a Baltimore City courtroom Friday to face the charges stemming from a Sept. 30 incident where Phelps was caught speeding and crossing a double yellow line. He was pulled over at the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
Phelps tested a .14 percent blood alcohol limit, which is higher than the legal limit of .08 percent.
A judge found the 18-time gold medal winner guilty of both DUI charges plus the excessive speeding and crossing the double line violations.
USA Swimming suspended Phelps, following his arrest, for six months. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous and entered a rehabilitation program.
The probation will allow Phelps to travel outside the country.
This was Phelps second drunken driving charge. He was arrested in 2004 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The swimmer was 19 at the time.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report from Baltimore. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on Facebook.
