Pro football hall of famer pleads guilty to DUI in plea deal

Posted on Jan 26, 2010

Bruce Smith, a retired professional football player who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in August, agreed to plead guilty to charges of drunken driving in an incident that happened last May. Smith was originally convicted of driving under the influence, speeding, and refusing to take a blood or breath test.

The first conviction happened in the General District Court. Smith appealed the verdict, and the case ended up in the Circuit Court where he agreed to please guilty to the DUI charge in exchange for the prosecutors dropping the speeding and blood / breath test refusal charges.

As a result of pleading guilty and being convicted of the DUI, Smith’s license will be restricted for one year and he will have to remain on good behavior, in addition to a 90 day suspended jail sentence, a $1,000 fine, and enrollment in an alcohol-safety program.

Smith was originally arrested by Virginia Beach police officer Bryan Womble, who himself was arrested the very next month for driving while intoxicated while off-duty. Womble plead guilty and lost his job with the police force, factors in the case that were taken into account by prosecutors when reaching a deal with Smith.

This was the third DUI arrest for Smith, who was charged with driving under the influence in 1997 and again in 2003. The first charges in 1997 were dismissed and Smith was acquitted of the second charges six years later.

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