Former Aston Villa Defender Liam Ridgewell Charged in the US for Driving Under the Influence

Published on: 26 October 2016

Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell has been arrested and charged with a drinking under the influence (DUI) offence in America, as reported by the Daily Mail.


The 32-year-old, who made over 376 appearances for West Brom, Birmingham and Aston Villa combined, was arrested on Monday night along with Timbers teammate Jake Gleeson as they were both driving under the influence of intoxicants.


Both Timbers teammates were brought into Clackamas County jail, with Gleeson, who is captain of the MLS side, posting the $7,500 bail (£6,175) for their charges.

What do DUII arrests mean for Liam Ridgewell, Jake Gleeson and the Portland Timbers? https://t.co/C5xxykzqNd pic.twitter.com/OLtcfnM9qe

The pair will appear in front a judge at the Lake Oswego municipal court on November 16 after the Timbers captain crashed his car into the back of a friend's SUV.


The 26-year-old then called Ridgewell to pick him up from the scene, but authorities were alerted to the situation by Gleeson's in-car emergency system and when police arrived, the pair both declined to take a breath test.

Ridgewell was charged with DUI, while Gleeson was charged with reckless driving and reckless endangerment.


"It was a BMW emergency services that reported the crash to us," Sergeant Tom Hamann told The Oregonian.

Portland Timbers players Liam Ridgewell, Jake Gleeson apologize after DUII arrests https://t.co/W8wIOA88aR pic.twitter.com/fHrWrhIcXY

"Officers responded and found Gleeson's BMW sustained front-end damage with its airbag deployed after what appeared to be a crash into the rear of another car.


"He had also apparently called a friend to come pick him up, and that was Ridgewell. After field sobriety tests were finished, officers determined both athletes were impaired."


The former Villa defender joined the Portland Timbers two years ago and is one of three designated players allowed out the team's current salary cap. He also helped guide the MLS outfit to the MLS cup in 2015.



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