WATCH: Bodycam footage shows DUI arrest of former Olympian Mary Lou Retton
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Nearly a month after former Olympian Mary Lou Retton pleaded no contest to a charge of driving under the influence, police in Fairmont, West Virginia, have released the bodycam footage of the May arrest.
In a criminal complaint previously obtained by Nexstar's WBOY, officers said that Retton, also known as Retton-Kelly, was "driving all over the roadway" heading toward downtown Fairmont before officers pulled her over in the parking lot of the Fairmont Auto Zone.
After being pulled over, officers said that “the odor of alcohol was emitting from her person,” and that she was slurring her words. They also said they spotted a “screw top container of wine” in the passenger seat.
In footage obtained by WBOY via a Freedom of Information Act request, Retton is shown performing field sobriety tests for Fairmont police officers while on oxygen. While performing the tests, she told officers that she didn't have a driver's license with her and that "it's in Texas."
Officers then asked her to perform a breathalyzer test, to which she refused because "they say don't blow." The officers told her that refusing the test results in an additional charge and that she would need to either perform a breathalyzer test at the station or give a blood sample pending a search warrant.
Officers then placed Retton into custody and placed her into the back of a police cruiser. She was charged with first-offense DUI and later posted a $1,500 personal recognizance bond. In June, she pleaded no contest to the DUI charge and was fined $100.
Following her plea, Retton released a statement through her attorney in which she took full responsibility for her actions. She said that the incident was "completely unacceptable" and apologized to her friends and fans.
Retton, a Fairmont native, is best known for being the first American female gymnast to win the all-around at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
She also made headlines in 2023 after being admitted to an Intensive Care Unit during her battle with pneumonia, prompting her daughter to set up a crowdfunding page to help pay for medical expenses. The fund raised $200,000 in a day, but received criticism from those who questioned her lack of insurance. She was released from the hospital a few weeks later.