Tiger Wood Keeps His Domestic Disturbance Under Wraps

|
So far, Tiger Woods and his legal advisers have done a pretty good job of warding off the police and keeping him and his wife out of trouble.
At this point the only thing the police have against Tiger and his wife is that Tiger crashed his 2009 Cadillac into a fire hydrant and a tree in his neighbor's yard after he pulled out of his driveway at 2:25 a.m. Alcohol apparently was not involved in Tiger's collision.
The police officers involved in the case reported that upon their arrival they found the 33 year-old PGA star lying in the street with his wife hovering over him. Tiger's wife was described as being "frantic and upset". She told the officers she was in the family's mansion when she heard the accident and came out and broke the back window with a golf club.
Two troopers attempted to interview Mr. Woods at his home after the incident, but his wife turned them away claiming that Tiger was sleeping. When the troopers came back the next day Tiger was not available. Tiger then canceled subsequent appointments that his attorneys made with the police who were attempting to obtain his statement.
From the evidence released concerning the incident it appears that a domestic disturbance between Tiger and his wife ensued in their early morning hours. It is also possible, based on the evidence, that one of the two parties committed domestic violence. After all, Tiger admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in California, and the evidence shows that he was desperately trying to cover his tracks about the affair at the same time that this incident occurred. Thus, it is not beyond the realm of all possibilities that his collision with the tree was caused by the dispute.
Some critics complain that Tiger was wrong for not speaking to the police about the incident. I'm not an expert on protecting people's images or their trade names, but I do know a little bit about protecting people from getting into trouble with the police. In this regard Tiger and his legal representatives should be commended. The police are not likely to be able to make charges stick against Tiger or his wife, so long as neither one of them agrees to cooperate.
This case strongly demonstrates the fact that the Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination is alive and well. Unfortunately, most people do not know that they have a right to refuse to speak to the police at any time. Take a page from Tiger's book. In the unfortunate event that the police come knocking on your door to speak to you about a domestic squabble, exercise your rights and ask to speak to a lawyer.
The police and the prosecutors are making extraordinary efforts to dig up evidence to determine whether or not Tiger or his wife committed crimes, which is typical these days in cases involving domestic disturbances. In my view this incident was not the crime of the century and I'm sure that Tiger and his wife will have no problem paying full restitution for the damages that he caused to the tree and the fire hydrant. The only injuries that appear to have taken place are the injuries that Tiger caused to himself. It looks like it was a purely private matter between Tiger and his wife, given that neither one of them are asking the police or prosecutors to file charges.
I cannot help but wonder why the police would state that there are charges pending or that they were attempting to obtain a search warrant of the mansion. In order for the police to obtain a search warrant for Tiger's mansion, they must show a court that there is probable cause to believe that there is evidence of a crime within the mansion. I doubt that the prosecutors can get a search warrant issued from the evidence thus far, as this incident involved a car crash. What evidence do they hope to find in the mansion?
The police and prosecutors ought to exercise discretion in this case and lighten up on Tiger. Tiger already has severe problems with respect to protecting his image, not to mention keeping his family intact. Who knows, this case may end up in a divorce, in which case we will have plenty to write about.
Anyone care to guess if there was a premarital agreement or how much Tiger would have to pay in child support?
Written By: Donald P. Schweitzer