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02-28-2010, 05:42 PM
Timberwolves' Al Jefferson arrested on suspicion of DWI (http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/85767692.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU)
Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player Al Jefferson was arrested and booked into jail early this morning for allegedly driving drunk, according to jail records.
Jefferson was arrested by the State Patrol at 1:08 a.m., and was brought to the Hennepin County Jail shorty after 2 a.m., according to the State Patrol and jail records. He was released at 3:19 a.m.
Jefferson was arrested on a charge of fourth degree driving while impaired, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske.
Jefferson initially was pulled over for speeding as he left downtown Minneapolis, heading west on 394. He was clocked going 56 mph in a 40-mph zone, Roeske said.
The trooper also observed the vehicle drifting to left and the driver's side tires going onto the fog line, Roeske said. Then the vehicle changed to the center lane without signaling. The car was stopped on 394 near Dunwoody Blvd.
Roeske said a field sobriety test led to Jefferson's arrest. A blood test was administered and the results are pending a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis, Roeske said.
Jefferson is scheduled for a court appearance on April 23.
A fourth degree DWI is charged if there are no aggravating factors. That means no prior DWI or DWI related license revocations. Additionally, the driver cannot have a blood alcohol concentration in excess of twice the legal limit (.20) or have refused to take a test to determine that blood alcohol content.
A fourth degree DWI offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The arrest came after the Timberwolves lost to the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center, 110-91. Jefferson, listed as a 6-10 center-forward on the team's roster, led the Wolves in scoring with 19 points, and in playing time, with 30 minutes. (The jail log listed him at 6-9.)
Jefferson, drafted 15th by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA draft after turning pro straight out of Prentiss (Miss.) High School, was the most prominent of the five players the Wolves received in the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston in 2007.
A career 15.2-point-per-game scorer, Jefferson has averaged 20.4 points with the Wolves and was returning this season from knee surgery that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2008-09 season.
The six-year veteran has been in a scoring slump recently. Though he's scored 20 or more points 24 times this season, he has not reached that level in the team's last 10 games.
The 25-year-old Jefferson is also the Wolves' highest-paid player, earning $12 million this season, the second of a five-year contract worth $65 million.
Minnesota Timberwolves basketball player Al Jefferson was arrested and booked into jail early this morning for allegedly driving drunk, according to jail records.
Jefferson was arrested by the State Patrol at 1:08 a.m., and was brought to the Hennepin County Jail shorty after 2 a.m., according to the State Patrol and jail records. He was released at 3:19 a.m.
Jefferson was arrested on a charge of fourth degree driving while impaired, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske.
Jefferson initially was pulled over for speeding as he left downtown Minneapolis, heading west on 394. He was clocked going 56 mph in a 40-mph zone, Roeske said.
The trooper also observed the vehicle drifting to left and the driver's side tires going onto the fog line, Roeske said. Then the vehicle changed to the center lane without signaling. The car was stopped on 394 near Dunwoody Blvd.
Roeske said a field sobriety test led to Jefferson's arrest. A blood test was administered and the results are pending a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis, Roeske said.
Jefferson is scheduled for a court appearance on April 23.
A fourth degree DWI is charged if there are no aggravating factors. That means no prior DWI or DWI related license revocations. Additionally, the driver cannot have a blood alcohol concentration in excess of twice the legal limit (.20) or have refused to take a test to determine that blood alcohol content.
A fourth degree DWI offense is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The arrest came after the Timberwolves lost to the Portland Trail Blazers at Target Center, 110-91. Jefferson, listed as a 6-10 center-forward on the team's roster, led the Wolves in scoring with 19 points, and in playing time, with 30 minutes. (The jail log listed him at 6-9.)
Jefferson, drafted 15th by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA draft after turning pro straight out of Prentiss (Miss.) High School, was the most prominent of the five players the Wolves received in the trade of Kevin Garnett to Boston in 2007.
A career 15.2-point-per-game scorer, Jefferson has averaged 20.4 points with the Wolves and was returning this season from knee surgery that caused him to miss the final two months of the 2008-09 season.
The six-year veteran has been in a scoring slump recently. Though he's scored 20 or more points 24 times this season, he has not reached that level in the team's last 10 games.
The 25-year-old Jefferson is also the Wolves' highest-paid player, earning $12 million this season, the second of a five-year contract worth $65 million.