Dennis Rodman Gets Community Service In Hit-And-Run
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) – NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman agreed Monday to do 30 hours of community service for a hit-and-run accident he caused by getting on an Interstate 5 ramp going the wrong way. He also made a false statement to police about the accident.
Misdemeanor charges against the 55-year-old former basketball star were dropped under his plea deal, according to Rodman's attorney, Paul Meyer.
The collision occurred about 12:30 a.m. July 20, 2016, near Main Street in Santa Ana. Rodman never actually made it onto the freeway beyond the exit ramp, Meyer said.
A motorist driving a black BMW south on the 5, north of Broadway, told investigators he saw a white Land Rover coming at him in the wrong direction and swerved to avoid the crash, but slammed into a center-divider wall, California Highway Patrol Officer Florentino Olivera said.
The driver and his passenger got out of the BMW and then saw the Land Rover's driver -- who they said they recognized as Rodman -- make a U-turn and return southbound in their direction, Olivera said.
Rodman, who sometimes resides in Newport Beach, stopped and had a short conversation with them, but then left the scene without exchanging information, Olivera alleged. The CHP recommended a felony charge be filed because the passenger complained of pain following the crash, he said.
Prosecutors filed only a misdemeanor charge against the former player for the Lakers, Pistons, Spurs and Bulls.
The false statement allegation stemmed from a call CHP officials made to Rodman.
"It was a short phone call asking him about the accident and he was saying, `I was at the gym,' and they said, `No, you were not at the gym,"' before the call was dropped, said Meyer, who chalked it up to a misunderstanding.
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