Eugene, Ore. — Former University of Oregon basketball player Tyler Dorsey was arrested in May on suspicion of intoxicated driving, but Eugene city prosecutors have not formally charged him with the misdemeanor offense.
A lawyer for Dorsey said Wednesday that he doubts authorities ever will file the DUII charge, which officially remains under review.
Attorney Greg Veralrud of Eugene on Wednesday entered a “no contest” plea on Dorsey’s behalf to a noncriminal traffic violation of driving without lights. In exchange for the plea, city prosecutors dismissed an open-container violation filed against Dorsey in Eugene Municipal Court.
A judge imposed a $175 fine in the case. Dorsey did not attend the hearing.
Dorsey, a key player from the UO’s 2017 Final Four team, is entering his second season in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks.
Eugene police arrested him during the early morning hours of May 26 on a DUII charge, along with the traffic violations.
Police said an officer pulled over a Land Rover Discovery sport-utility vehicle driven by Dorsey, 22, after seeing it traveling east on Broadway without headlights. The officer stopped the vehicle as it turned south onto Agate Street.
The officer found an open container of alcohol on the SUV’s passenger-side floorboard. A police spokeswoman said at the time that the officer “suspected impairment” after speaking with Dorsey at the scene.
Veralrud said Wednesday in court that a breath test measured Dorsey’s blood-alcohol level at 0.06 percent. After the hearing, he said he believes it’s “doubtful” that city prosecutors will file the DUII charge.
A spokeswoman for the city prosecutor’s office said records show the charge is still “under review” but that no prosecutor was immediately available Wednesday to discuss the case.
Under Oregon law, a driver is automatically considered to be under the influence of alcohol if he or she has a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or above. But a person may still be arrested for intoxicated driving if he or she blows below 0.08 percent, if the arresting officer believes the driver is impaired.
Eugene police spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin said Wednesday that she could not provide the arresting officer’s report in Dorsey’s case because the DUII charge remains under review.
