Tiger Woods, the number one golfer in the world, has been the main topic of conversation in the news, entertainment and public. The intense attention placed on Woods this month did not develop because of his excellent golfing career, but because of his personal life and potential criminal charges that he may be facing. Tiger needed a criminal defense attorney, fast! Woods’ is suspected of driving under the influence after hitting a hydrant and a tree with his SUV. Drunk driving is a serious crime and although Tiger may have avoided this DUI charge for now, even a celebrity can be charged with DUI. (For those who don’t remember, Kiefer Sutherland received a 42 day jail sentence for his 3rd drunk driving charge quite recently). Back to Tiger; his wife, Elin, rescued Woods by breaking the back windows of the Cadillac Escalade. Luckily, Woods did not endure major injuries, and was taken to the hospital shortly after the incident. It is speculated that Woods’ accident was influenced by a dispute with his wife after she allegedly confronted Woods about his affairs with other women. There don’t seem to be any allegations of domestic violence at this time.

Woods was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and prescribed drugs during the incident. He was not charged with any criminal charges due to the lack of evidence, but was cited for careless driving and fined $164. Woods was ultimately saved from having a drunk driving charge being filed against him by making the immediate decision to protect himself by hiring the services of his criminal attorney before ever submitting a statement to the authorities.

The process that possibly saved Tiger Woods from facing criminal charges is what we call a Pre-file. In order for someone to be charged with a crime, some kind of investigation has to take place. During the investigation phase, a criminal defense attorney can get involved and prevent any charges from being filed by working with investigators to ensure the accused does not make any statements that may be used against him/her. Woods’ hesitation to speak to the authorities and the involvement of his criminal defense attorney reduced his risk of facing any DUI charges or any other criminal charges that could have had vast damage on his career.

For more information on pre-file investigations you can visit our site at: http://www.criminalattorneyusa.com/pre-file-investigation.aspx