Todd Helton served 48 hours in jail after DUI guilty plea

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former All-Star first baseman Todd Helton pleaded guilty to driving under the influence as a first offence and has served 48 hours in jail as part of his sentence.

Helton crashed his vehicle on March 18, 2019, in Knox County and required emergency medical care. No other cars were involved and one else was hurt. Helton was given a misdemeanour citation for DUI.

Knox County assistant district attorney Sean F. McDermott confirmed Monday to The Associated Press that Helton also received unsupervised probation for 11 months, 29 days, with his license suspended for a year. Helton also had to pay a $350 fine and attend a Victim Impact Panel.

TMZ first reported Helton had settled his case.

Attorney Stephen Ross Johnson said Helton is thankful for the support he has received.

“Todd regrets what happened,” Johnson wrote in a statement Monday. “He accepted responsibility by pleading guilty. He successfully completed treatment, served the mandatory 48 hours required by Tennessee law, and is working to put this behind him.”

According to a Knox County sheriff’s report, Helton crashed his car into a telephone pole. Helton was taken to a hospital for evaluation and later entered a treatment program.

Helton retired in 2013 after a 17-year playing career with the Colorado Rockies. The five-time All-Star remains Colorado’s career leader in numerous hitting categories, including hits (2,519), homers (369), runs (1,401), RBIs (1,406) and total bases (4,292).

He had a DUI arrest in Colorado in 2013.

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The Associated Press