Aldon Smith was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly crashed his vehicle into another car, and police say the former San Francisco 49ers star tried to pay his way out of trouble.
Smith was charged with driving while under the influence and DUI causing injury following a two-car accident in Redwood City, Calif., on Dec. 6. He pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. According to court documents reviewed by Michael Nowels of the San Jose Mercury News, Smith rear-ended a truck and then offered the other driver $1,000 to not involve police. The driver suffered minor injuries.
California Highway Patrol officers were called to the scene, where they found two empty bottles of hard alcohol in Smith’s truck. The 32-year-old refused a field sobriety test but later took a blood test that showed his blood-alcohol content was .288. The legal limit in California is .08, so Smith’s BAC was more than three times the legal limit.
Officers also found marijuana in Smith’s pockets. He is facing misdemeanor charges of driving with open alcohol and marijuana containers in addition to the two felonies.
Smith has a long history of alcohol abuse issues. He has been arrested several times for DUI, including once in 2018 when his BAC was shockingly high.
Smith was reinstated from a suspension prior to last season and appeared in all 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys. The former No. 7 overall pick had five sacks and 50 QB pressures. He was with the Seattle Seahawks this past offseason but released following another arrest in April.
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