Lamar Odom DUI Not Guilty Plea Sign Star Not Ready to Admit Mistakes?
Lamar Odom pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence following his arrest in August.
Odom was not at court for the arraignment Wednesday and his attorney entered the plea with the pretrial hearing set for Nov. 8.
The DUI charge against the 33-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers player includes an allegation that Odom refused to take a chemical test. According to California law, a motorist will lose their license for a year if they refuse the test.
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Lamar Odom's arrest on Aug. 30 came while he was on the 101 Freeway in San Fernando Valley, Calif. His white Mercedes SUV was driving in a "serpentine manner" and too slowly at 50 mph, according to the police report. Cops attempted to pull him over, but the NBA free agent didn't respond to officers until three exits later, when he finally exited.
Odom's "objective signs of intoxication" prevented him from passing any of the field sobriety tests, and he was arrested and booked into a Van Nuys jail. The arrest came during a turbulent time in the former NBA player's life after several reports speculated on his struggles with substance abuse.
Unconfirmed accounts claimed that the basketball player was allegedly addicted to Oxycontin and the sleeping pill Ambien for two years and also that he attended rehab. Previous rumors claimed he had also used crack cocaine, but those were proven to be false soon afterwards. It is unclear if Odom has actually used Oxycontin or Ambien.
"[Lamar] absolutely believes Khloe's family has been leaking stories to the tabloid press about his drug use, and his trip to rehab last year," one family insider told Radar Online.
Odom previously revealed on reality TV that his father is a heroin addict and struggled with drug rumors in 2001, but eventually overcame them.
