Tiger Woods set for Florida court appearance, plea hearing in DUI case

JUPITER ISLAND, Fla. — Tiger Woods will appear in court ​on Wednesday for what is listed on the docket as a change-of-plea hearing related to his rollover crash and ‌DUI arrest in March.

A Sept. 8 appearance had been scheduled as a status hearing ⁠after Woods entered a not-guilty ​plea.

In a change-of-plea hearing, a ⁠defendant is required to be present rather than solely use legal ‌representation on their ‌behalf.

Records for the Martin County court schedule on Wednesday show ⁠Woods scheduled to appear at ⁠8:30 a.m. ET before Judge Darren Steele.

Woods is represented by attorney Douglas Duncan, who filed a separate document on the docket describing the hearing as a "plea conference," USA Today reported Tuesday. Duncan had requested a jury trial when he filed Woods' ‌earlier not-guilty plea.

The court granted Woods' ​request to leave the country for treatment. Woods argued that he needed to leave the United States to receive treatment in a controlled environment and, in a statement, said he needed time to "focus on my health."

Woods, 50, was arrested March 27 and charged with DUI with property damage and refusal to ​submit to a lawful test after he refused a DUI test following ‌the Jupiter Island ‌crash. ⁠Witnesses and police accounts of the accident described Woods' Range Rover crossing over double solid lines and then swerving to avoid a pickup truck and trailer.

Deputies responding to the scene reported that Woods ‌showed "signs of impairment." An ​arrest affidavit revealed that police also ‌recovered two hydrocodone pills.

Woods ⁠was detained ​in Florida for the state-mandated eight hours before his bail was granted.

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