BALTIMORE—Michael Phelps will avoid jail time on drunken driving charges after the Olympic great entered a guilty plea in Baltimore District Court on Friday morning and received a suspended one-year sentence.
Though Phelps, 29, faces 18 months of supervised probation, he can now turn his attention fully to swimming, with plans to compete sometime after a six-month suspension from USA Swimming ends in early April.
Phelps is prohibited from drinking alcohol during his 18-month probation, but he will be able to train and travel during that period. He will continue alcohol counseling sessions for at least six months.
He spoke briefly at his trial on Friday, apologizing and saying he is committed to his rehabilitation.
Phelps said he’s looking forward to better, brighter future. He shared a big hug with Ray Lewis, the former Ravens linebacker who was there to support him.
On September 30 Maryland Transit Authority Police stopped Phelps outside the Fort McHenry Tunnel after clocking him at 84 miles per hour in a 45-mph zone. He was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines. His blood-alcohol level was 0.14 percent, and he failed field sobriety tests, police said. The state’s legal limit is 0.08 percent.
Phelps previously pleaded guilty to driving while impaired after a 2004 arrest in Wicomico County, when he was 19. He received probation before judgment rather than a conviction in that case.
After he was charged in the September incident, Phelps apologized in social-media posts and said he was entering a six-week inpatient treatment program.
A representative of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club revealed late last month that Phelps had resumed training with an eye on 2015.
Childs Walker / The Baltimore Sun