Not a whole lot went right for the Detroit Pistons this season. The team failed to build on last year’s postseason appearance and were plagued by inconsistency, leading to yet another spring without playoff basketball in the Motor City.
It certainly didn’t help when guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was arrested in March a few hours after a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat for driving while intoxicated, which was yet another black eye on the largely forgettable campaign.
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However, Caldwell-Pope appears to have caught a bit of a break. The official charge of operating while intoxicated (OWI) was dismissed by Judge Julie Nicholson at 52/3 District Court in Rochester Hills on Thursday. Caldwell-Pope also plead guilty to a lesser charge of allowing a person to drive under the influence, meaning he’ll be sentenced on June 14 and is also subject to a substance abuse evaluation.
He was arrested on March 29 just before 3:00 AM after being pulled over for driving nearly twice the posted 25 MPH speed limit on Auburn Road. The arresting officer smelled an intoxicant as he approached Caldwell-Pope’s vehicle. During a sobriety test, he registered a 0.098 blood alcohol level, and then later 0.08 level at the Auburn Hills police station after being arrested.
In order to legally drive in the state of Michigan, one must have their blood alcohol level below 0.08.
He was issued a citation, kept for the minimum time required, and then released. Police said he was very cooperative. Despite the arrest, he played in Detroit’s next game against Brooklyn, scoring 12 points in the Pistons win.
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Because of the incident, Caldwell-Pope is also subject to the NBA substance abuse policy. The league will wait for the case to officially conclude, and will conduct their own investigation.
He is a pending restricted free-agent, and has drawn interest from other NBA teams.
