Former gymnast Mary Lou Retton was charged with driving under the influence in West Virginia this month, according to court records.
Retton, 57, was found operating a grey Porsche on the Fairmont Gateway connector while under the influence, according to the criminal complaint.
Officers responded to a reckless driver complaint about the described Porsche, which was seen “driving all over the roadway.” The original complainant said the car turned into an AutoZone.
Officers contacted Retton shortly after and she was found in the vehicle’s driver’s seat, which was still running. According to the complaint, officers also saw a “screw-top container of wine” in the passenger seat.
The complaint said she smelled of alcohol and was slurring her words.
She was administered a Standard Field Sobriety test and showed signs of impairment on all three phases. She refused a roadside preliminary breath test and a chemical test of her blood, the complaint said.
The complaint noted that she had no previous driving under the influence charges in the last 10 years.
According to online records, Retton posted a $1,500 bond. A representative for Retton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Retton became the first American woman to win an Olympic individual all-around gold medal when she edged out Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo in the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
That golden moment cemented her fame as one of the country’s most famous gymnasts. She was the first female athlete depicted on a Wheaties box.
Last year, she said she faced “death in the eyes” while in intensive care in 2023 with a life-threatening bout of pneumonia. After she left the hospital, she required the help of a nasal oxygen tube to breathe, and she said she was dealing with ongoing health issues.
Months later, Retton told NBC News that doctors “still don’t know” exactly what illness continues to affect her lungs.
“They’re calling it a rare form of pneumonia,” she said last year.