Former NBA star Dennis Rodman has been charged with hit-and-run with property damage after causing an accident by driving his SUV in the wrong direction on the freeway in July.
Rodman, 55, has been charged with one misdemeanor count of hit and run with property damage, one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle across a dividing section, one misdemeanor count of giving false information to a police officer, and one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid license.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Santa Ana, California, on Jan. 20, 2017. If convicted, the former Chicago Bulls player faces a maximum sentence of two years in county jail.
According to the Orange County district attorney’s office, Rodman drove his white luxury SUV in a southbound carpool lane of the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana while heading north on July 20, causing the driver of a BMW to swerve into the highway’s center divider to avoid a collision.
The victim called 911 and California Highway Patrol officers responded to the scene, but Rodman fled the scene before officers arrived, without exchanging information with the other driver.
Shortly after the accident, the five-time NBA champ and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee dismissed the idea that he would be charged in and interview with the Associated Press.
“Life is good, that’s why I’ve never been charged,” Rodman told the AP back in August. “Guess what? Nothing happened, there was no wreck, there was no injuries, there was no nothing, so I guess it’s going on hearsay.”