FORMER PHOENIX SUNS STAR JASON KIDD CRASHES CAR, CHARGED WITH DUI

Posted by Phoenix DUI Attorney Nick Alcock:

Newly signed New York Knicks guard and former Phoenix Suns standout Jason Kidd was busted for drunken driving early Sunday morning after crashing his luxury SUV into a utility pole. The incident capped a night out at a charity fundraiser in the Hamptons where Kidd had been seen allegedly pounding vodka. According to the police report, Kidd was driving a 2010 Cadillac Escalade when it left the road and traveled about 25 feet into a wooded area. The vehicle, which was registered in Texas, snapped a utility pole at the base.

Police had responded to a 911 call from an unidentified passerby reporting the accident.

Police said Kidd was still inside the vehicle when they arrived on the scene and said wires from the downed pole had to be deactivated before he exited the vehicle under his own power. Kidd was transported to Southampton Hospital for treatment of minor injuries after the crash, police said. It was at the hospital where he refused a blood test.

The investigation into the accident is continuing, but police said that Kidd, who was alone when the accident occurred, was “cooperative” at the scene. The report suggests that Kidd “smelled heavily of an alcoholic beverage,” was “very unsteady on his feet” and “did not know what happened” in the immediate aftermath

Kidd was processed at police headquarters and held for arraignment after being released from the hospital. He was released on his own recognizance. Kidd’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., said in a text message to Newsday Sunday that, “I entered a not-guilty plea and await further court proceedings. That’s all I am indicating to press at this time.” The Knicks have not released a statement regarding the incident. The NBA said in a text message that the league would “monitor the situation.” On Saturday night, in the hours leading up to the crash, Kidd had attended a benefit hosted at an East Hampton estate by singer Ne-Yo’s Compound Foundation to honor movie director George Lucas.

This is not Kidd’s first brush with the law. Kidd was arrested back in January 2001 and pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge for assaulting his then-wife Joumana.