More details released after former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI
FAIRMONT, W.Va (WDTV/Gray News) – Police are releasing more details after former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton was arrested for driving under the influence in West Virginia.
According to court documents, police were notified of a Porsche driving “all over the roadway” on the Gateway Connector headed toward downtown Fairmont on May 17.
Officers say they found Retton, 57, in her car in a nearby AutoZone parking lot with a screw-top bottle of wine in her enger seat.
According to police, Retton smelled like alcohol and was slurring her words.
Court documents say officers had Retton perform three standard field sobriety tests, which all confirmed she was showing signs of impairment.
According to the criminal complaint, Retton refused to have her blood tested for alcohol.
Retton was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances or drugs.
A judge gave Retton a $1,500 personal recognizance bond, court records state.
In 2023, Retton received over $450,000 in donations to cover medical expenses after being hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia. Her daughters started the fundraiser because they said Retton did not have medical insurance.
Retton was 16 when she became the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title in 1984.
She also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Olympics to help bring gymnastics — a sport long dominated by eastern European powers like Romania and the Soviet Union — into the mainstream in the U.S.
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