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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Swimmer Michael Phelps avoids jail time in DUI case

 (Associated Press)

Olympic gold medal swimmer Michael Phelps avoided jail time on Friday when a judge in Baltimore placed him on probation for pleading guilty to a drunken driving charge for the second time in 10 years. The punishment came with a warning. “You don’t need a lecture from the court,” District Judge Nathan Braverman told Phelps. “If you haven’t gotten the message by now, or forget the message, the only option is jail.” Probation allows the most decorated Olympian ever to focus on training for the 2016 Games in Rio De Janeiro, which would be his fifth. The 29-year-old came out of a year’s retirement with his sights set on Rio, and the plea is not expected to have any ill effect on those plans.

Associated Press