Former Colorado Rockies star Todd Helton has entered a residential treatment program after receiving a misdemeanor citation earlier this month on a charge driving under the influence, his attorney says.
“He realizes there are parts of his behavior that need to change, and he is focused on doing just that,” attorney Stephen Ross Johnson said in a statement.
Helton’s car struck a telephone pole at around 6 p.m. on March 18, according to a Knox County (Tenn.) sheriff’s report obtained by the Denver Post.
According to police, Helton told the officers he had taken an Ambien earlier that afternoon. One officer spotted a cup inside the vehicle that “had the odor of an alcoholic beverage.”
Helton, 45, required medical treatment and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Because the officers were unable to conduct field sobriety tests or interview Helton in depth at the scene, he was given a misdemeanor citation “in lieu of custodial arrest.”
The five-time All-Star first baseman and 2000 National League batting champion retired in 2013 after 17 seasons with the Rockies. Helton, who is from Knoxville and went to the University of Tennessee, batted .316 for his career with 369 homers, 1,406 RBIs and 2,519 hits. The team retired his uniform No. 17 in 2014.