Lamar Odom pleads not guilty in DUI case
Former NBA player Lamar Odom pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a DUI charge stemming from his August arrest on the 101 Freeway in the San Fernando Valley, the Los Angeles city attorney’s office said.
Richard Hutton, Odom’s lawyer, entered the plea on Odom’s behalf at the Van Nuys courthouse, said city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.
Odom, a former Laker and Clipper forward, was arrested Aug. 30 after he was spotted allegedly driving erratically on the freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol.
DOCUMENT: Lamar Odom’s arrest report
CHP officials said Odom was driving a white Mercedes sports utility vehicle eastbound on the 101 Freeway near Sepulveda Boulevard. They said the vehicle was moving in a “serpentine manner” at about 50 mph.
Authorities said they tried to pull Odom over but he continued driving eastbound, passing Van Nuys Boulevard and Woodman Avenue. He exited at Coldwater Canyon Boulevard in Studio City and came to a stop, CHP officials said.
Odom showed “objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests as explained and demonstrated,” a CHP report read.
At the Van Nuys jail, Odom refused all chemical tests and was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, CHP officials said.
Drivers suspected of DUI may refuse to take such tests, but once they are at a police station, they are required to take a chemical test. If they refuse, they lose their driving privileges for a year.
By obtaining a California driver’s license, drivers consent to have their breath, blood or urine tested if they are arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. A driver does not have a right to consult a lawyer beforehand, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.
Odom has made headlines in the past few weeks involving allegations of drug use, including reports in August that he went missing after a fight with his wife, Khloe Kardashian.
Drug rumors and some doubts about his character bumped him from the top spot in the 1999 draft down to the fourth pick, where he was taken by the Clippers.
He played for the Miami Heat, the Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Clippers last year.
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