Just as point guard Ty Lawson lit up opponents with his passing and scoring skills, so too did the Denver Nuggets light up sports media with their trade sending the troubled star to the Houston Rockets. In return for Lawson, the Nuggets are to receive four players and a first-round pick in next year’s NBA draft.
Sports Illustrated reports that the 27-year-old guard was arrested earlier this month in Los Angeles on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. The DUI arrest was Lawson’s second in 7 months.
Lawson was pulled over for speeding in the most recent incident and booked into county jail an hour later for misdemeanor drunken driving. As Nuggets fans undoubtedly recall, he was similarly pulled over for speeding in Denver back in January. He wound up facing DUI, speeding and careless driving charges, SI reports.
The website says he also pleaded guilty to an underage DUI back in 2008 while attending the University of North Carolina. Several media outlets have reported that Lawson might have had a fourth DUI arrest as well, but that allegation has not been confirmed.
On Aug. 5 of this year, Colorado’s new felony DUI law takes effect. If a person is convicted of a fourth DUI — regardless of where the first three offenses occurred — they face a possible six years in state prison.
An experienced DUI defense attorney can help assess the penalties you potentially face and then work to minimize them in negotiations or at trial.