Bucs' Boston arrested on DUI charges

PINELLAS PARK - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver David Boston was arrested on DUI charges Thursday.

A passerby called police about 7:25 p.m. Thursday after the dark red Range Rover he was driving did not move when the light turned green at Park Boulevard and 49th Street N, said Capt. Sandy Forseth, the Pinellas Park police spokesman

Police arrived about a minute later to find Boston, 29, passed out behind the steering wheel. The SUV, which was in the southbound lanes of 49th, was running and in drive.

The first officer on the scene called in a traffic officer experienced in alcohol-related DUis and one of the department's certified drug recognition experts. DRE's are specially trained to recognize the indications that someone has taken drugs, Forseth said.

Officers had to "open the door and wake him up," Forseth said. They had Boston step out of the Range Rover and moved him out of the line of traffic.

"In Mr. Boston's case, his eyes were really indicating that something was going on there," Forseth said. "There's a fluttering, a bouncing of the eyeballs. They call it nystagmus. Mr. Boston's eyes were displaying a lot of nystagmus."

Forseth said he believed officers conducted four field sobriety tests. The results of those tests combined with their observations of Boston's eyeballs, speech and demeanor gave them reason to believe he was "impaired by some controlled substance or alcohol."

Officers took Boston into custody and tested him for alcohol to eliminate that as a possible reason for his alleged impairment. When the test was negative, officers took a urine sample to test for drugs. The results of those tests will not be available for several days, Forseth said.

Boston was charged with driving under the influence and released on his own recognisance.

Forseth said Boston made no incriminating statements. He did tell officers that he had left the practice field area in Orlando's Celebration and was headed to the Tampa International Airport where he had a hotel room for the night.

"When asked if he knew where he was, he had no idea," Forseth said. When officers told him he was ni Pinellas Park, Forseth said he responded, "Where is Pinellas Park? He thought he was somewhere in Hillsborough."

After officials receive the results of the urine test, a decision will be made whether to prosecute Boston and what charge he might ultimately face.

Boston has some history with illegal substances. According to the Miami Herald, he tested positive for marijuana and cocaine during a 2002 traffic stop.

In 2004, Boston was suspended for four games with the Miami Dolphins for violating the league’s steroid policy. At the time of his suspension, he had already suffered a season-ending knee injury.

Boston appealed, claiming he did not take an anabolic steroid, but it was denied. Later that month,  Boston was charged with simple assault in Burlington, Vt., and eventually pleaded no contest to striking a ticket agent at the airport.

The Cardinals first round draft choice in 1999, Boston’s best season was 2001 when he had 98 catches for 1,598 yards and eight touchdowns. He spent one season in San Diego, where he caught 70 passes for 880 yards and seven TDs but was dealt to Miami for a sixth-round pick because of run-ins with Marty Schottenheimer.

-- Casey Cora and Anne Lindberg, Times staff writers

Comments

[Matthew]

WATCH THE FIELD SOBRIETY TEST; it looks like he passed; and he offers to take a breath test and blood test; we've got to wait and see the results of the urine test; my guess is that he will test negative for illegal drugs.

GO BUCKEYES AND BUCS

[Terry]

Sounds and looks (from the video) like Boston passed all the tests. The only thing that he looked guilty of is not wanting to do the ridiculous tests. Here's a link to a story that happened just down the road in Hillsborough that looks just like this story...pending the urine test.

http://colorado-dui.com/parts/Images/outrageous.pdf

[NYBucsFan]

It appears he is going to be cleared darn it all. I really look like a complete tool over at http://bbs.buccaneers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9 I could be the dumbest humanoid on the surface of this planet. Check out all the posts about how I am not even a fan of the bucs and that I hate David Boston. I am definately no judge of football talent. I'm a moron.

[robert]

Watch the arrest video. That cop was obviously abusive. I was waiting for the cop to have Boston juggle bowling pins, tap dance, and sing the national anthem backwards. Boston was guilty of DWB.

Pinellas Park only knows one type of black driver, the one that needs to be in jail. This cop is going to be in serious trouble once they clear Boston.

[Mike]

Some R-tard above said that Pinellas Park is nowhere near Tampa. Wrong. Think about this. you are driving on 275 south from I-4. You drive by the Airport exit, maybe you are on the phone or are tired. No exit until Pinellas county. Or let's say he was got on the Gandy bridge somehow, maybe he never drove the area. next think he knows, he is next to the Pinellas Park mall and pretty exhausted.