Former Laker and Clipper forward Lamar Odom was charged today with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence stemming from his arrest last month.
The 33-year-old athlete is set to be arraigned Sept. 27 in Van Nuys Superior Court on the charge, which includes an allegation that Odom refused to take a chemical test.
Odom was arrested Aug. 30 after his SUV was spotted weaving on the eastbound Ventura (101) Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol. He was pulled over just before 4 a.m. as he exited the freeway on Coldwater Canyon in Studio City.
According to the CHP arrest report, Odom was driving his white Mercedes-Benz SUV in a “serpentine manner at 50 miles per hour” and showed “objective signs of intoxication and was unable to perform field sobriety tests as explained and demonstrated.”
Odom was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and taken to the jail at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys station.
CHP West Valley spokesman Officer Leland Tang said earlier that Odom refused to take either a blood or breath test.
“Because he refused both tests, we took his license and gave him a form stating that his license was automatically suspended for the next year. That goes into immediate effect,” Tang said. “That’s also the law across the board in California. Whenever someone gets a driver’s license in this state, they also agree to take a chemical test if they are ever stopped for suspicion of driving under the influence. And you forfeit your license for a year if you don’t take the test.”
Since Odom refused the test, “we don’t know what might have impaired his ability to drive,” Tang added.
Odom’s arrest came amid a spate of reports about alleged drug use and troubles in his marriage to Khloe Kardashian.
Odom, Tang said, was stopped because he was driving too slow and weaving.
“Those signs can mean either that the driver is sleepy or possibly driving under the influence,” he said. “You can’t tell which it is, unless you stop them.”
Odom was released on $15,000 bail, which was posted about 4 1/2 hours after his arrest.
