The Olympian was released on a $1,500 bond
Gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton was arrested in West Virginia for a misdemeanor DUI charge. Police in Fairmont pulled over Retton on May 17 after a report of a person driving a Porsche erratically.
According to a criminal complaint, Retton smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words and failed a field sobriety test, The Associated Press reports. Officers also allegedly saw a wine container in the passenger seat. The former athlete also refused to take a breath and blood test.
Retton was released from custody after paying a $1,500 personal recognizance bond, according to court information reviewed by Rolling Stone. She was charged with “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs.” Her listed attorney, Edmund J. Rollo, declined to comment.
Retton made history at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, when she became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics. She was 16 years old at the time.
Retton has been open about her health struggles, specifically a rare form of pneumonia, in the past. Last year, she told Today that doctors considered putting her on life support. At the time, she raised nearly half a million dollars online to cover her medical expenses.
“This is serious, and this is life, and I’m so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support,” Retton said at the time. “I just thought I was a washed-up old athlete, but the love touched me. Now that I’m alive and I made it through, there’s so many more positives than negatives.”
