Tyson Charges with Felony Drug Crimes & DUI

County Attorney's Office Will Seek Prison Sentence County Attorney Andrew Thomas announced that his office has charged Mike Tyson, former world heavyweight boxing champion, with two felony drug crimes and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence. The charges stem from a December 29, 2006, arrest in Scottsdale. The County Attorney's Office has charged Tyson with possession or use of narcotic drugs, a class 4 felony; possession of drug paraphernalia, a class 6 felony; and two class 1 misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs. On December 29, 2006, police officers working in Scottsdale pulled over Tyson after they observed him driving erratically and failing to stop at an intersection, nearly colliding with a sheriff's office vehicle in the process. An officer approaching Tyson's car observed the defendant wiping something off the center console of his vehicle. Tyson was given a field sobriety test by the officer during which he failed to follow instructions and displayed poor coordination and a lack of balance. Officers searched his vehicle and found three bags that later tested positive for cocaine. During questioning, Tyson admitted to using Zoloft, marijuana, and cocaine and said that he was addicted to cocaine. Due to Tyson's previous convictions for violent offenses, the County Attorney's Office stated Tyson appears ineligible for Arizona's mandatory drug treatment program for first- and second-time non-violent drug offenders. Tyson was convicted of rape in Indiana in 1992. He was given a ten-year prison sentence, four years of which was suspended. In 1998, Tyson pled no contest to misdemeanor assault charges in Maryland. Thomas said his office is reviewing Tyson's full criminal history but has initially concluded Tyson falls outside the mandatory drug-treatment provisions specified by Arizona law. Thomas' office also has concluded that, given Tyson's prior convictions and the fact that the rape conviction is an allegeable felony conviction under Arizona law, Tyson is subject to mandatory prison time. Thomas stated that based on Tyson's criminal history and the nature of these newest alleged offenses, his office will seek a prison sentence for Tyson. "He has run out of second chances, at least in my book," Thomas said. "I believe some period of incarceration is necessary to help this man break his self-described addiction to cocaine and to protect the public." If convicted on all counts, Tyson faces between 2.25 and 7.5 years in prison, with a presumptive sentence of 4.5 years.