Soccer legend Hope Solo pled guilty in Forsyth County District Court on Monday to driving while impaired and was given a sentence of 30 days, according to a statement released by Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
On March 31, an officer with the Winston-Salem Police Department was flagged down by a person who pointed to a woman passed out behind the wheel of a car in the parking lot of the Walmart on Parkway Village Circle.
The officer found Hope Amelia Stevens, known professionally as Hope Solo, passed out in the driver’s seat with the engine running. Solo is the former for goalkeeper for the United States women’s national soccer team. She was in net for them from 2000-16, is a World Cup Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Solo made 202 appearances with the national team, with 153 wins and an international-record 102 shutouts.
Two small children were asleep in the backseat: twins Vittorio Genghis and Lozen Orianna Judith Stevens.
Once Solo was woken up and she rolled down the car window, the officer noticed a strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle.
Another officer with the Winston-Salem Police Department arrived and tried to investigate the circumstances. Once Solo was out of the vehicle, however, she refused to perform sobriety tests.
Solo was then placed under arrest and taken to the Magistrate’s Office. She refused to submit to a breathalyzer test.
An officer applied for, and was granted, a search warrant for a blood sample. The defendant had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.24. The test showed the defendant also had Delta-9 THC in her system at the time of the offense.
The children were picked up from the scene by Solo’s husband.
Forsyth County Chief District Court Judge Victoria L. Roemer sentenced Solo to a term of 24 months that was suspended for 24 months in accordance with a Level 1 DWI sentencing.
As a special condition of probation, Solo received an active sentence of 30 days in late April.
She was also ordered to:
- Obtain a substance abuse assessment and complete all recommended treatment;
- Surrender her driver’s license and not operate a motor vehicle until properly licensed to do so;
- Pay the costs of court a $2,500 fine and a $600 fee for the costs of the lab results.
Solo received credit for 30 days at an in-patient rehabilitation facility. She released the following statement after her sentence, her representative said:
“It’s been a long road, but I’m slowly coming back from taking time off. I pride myself in motherhood and what my husband and I have done day in and day out for over two years throughout the pandemic with two-year old twins. While I’m proud of us, it was incredibly hard and I made a huge mistake. Easily the worst mistake of my life. I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become.
The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly. Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful.
I want to thank my beautifully strong husband for supporting me through this in so many meaningful ways and my mom for being there for us, always. I want to thank all the friends who showed me support and also the ones who pushed me to take the hardest steps.
I want to thank my fans. The stories you shared and your faith in me meant a great deal.
I would like to thank my attorneys, Rich Nichols, Jim Trusty and Chris Clifton, for understanding that putting my mental and emotional well being first is most important to me and my family. I look forward to opening up and sharing more with everyone in the coming weeks.
I also want to thank all the wonderful women I met during my time at the Hope Valley treatment facility and specifically to my counselor, Billie Lawson. The women at Hope Valley are true leaders in their professions, filled with knowledge and insight on how to live a more healthy life balanced with kindness, empathy, tough love and understanding. Their no nonsense way of leading is a leadership style I have always admired and respected. I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences. I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share. I consider this a gift to pass it on to others because pain shared is pain lessened.”
The State was represented by Assistant District Attorney Kevin Olsen and the defendant was represented by local attorneys Chris Clifton and Ken Tisdale.
Praise GOD she did not injury her family or herself and that she was and seems to be willing to change and make amends. Thats what a Start in Life does, they may screw up, but they repent and move forward