Arizona Cardinals GM Steve Keim pleads guilty to extreme DUI
Jul 17, 2018, 1:59 PM | Updated: Jul 18, 2018, 6:15 am
Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
PHOENIX — Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim pleaded guilty Tuesday to extreme DUI, according to court records.
Keim’s blood alcohol content was .19, more than twice the legal limit, according to the Chandler Police Department forensic report.
Details of the case were available on the Chandler Municipal Court website. The violation was listed as extreme DUI, the charge when blood alcohol content is above .15.
The limit for a standard DUI is .08.
No details about his sentence were immediately available.
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Keim turned himself in and was booked around 9 p.m., Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez confirmed in an email early Wednesday.
Extreme DUI is a Class 1 misdemeanor. A conviction can result in 30 days in jail. Jail times can be modified, although not lower than 24 hours, if probation terms are followed.
After the guilty plea, the Cardinals suspended Keim for five weeks and fined him $200,000. The team said the money will be donated to the Arizona chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
“Once again, I apologize to everyone who has been negatively impacted by my actions and incredibly poor judgment, in particular the Cardinals, our fans and my family,” Keim said in a statement released by the team.
“I fully deserve and accept the punishment that has been issued. My goal is to do everything I can to grow from this personally and help others learn from my inexcusable behavior.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s legal analyst Monica Lindstrom told Mac and Gaydos on Tuesday that Keim could face about 30 days in jail or house arrest.
This is Keim’s second DUI incident. The first occurred in 1996, but Lindstrom said that will not impact his sentencing since they were more than seven years apart.
Keim was cited and released in the early hours of July 4.
He consented to having his blood drawn after his arrest, but results of alcohol content testing had not previously been made available.
Last week, body camera footage of the arrest was released.
The police report said Keim had been driving erratically before he was pulled over at around 12:30 a.m. near Dobson and Ocotillo roads.
Officers smelled alcohol on his breath and noted slurred speech. He said he’d consumed two beers while eating pizza over the previous one or two hours.
Keim refused to participate in several field sobriety tests, including a breath test, according to the report.
Police said Keim had trouble following the tip of a ballpoint pen without moving his head. He then refused to complete the “walk and turn” and “one leg stand” field tests, citing a pre-existing knee injury.
He was transported to a DUI command van at the Chandler Municipal Court and released just before 2 a.m. after processing.
Keim has been with the Cardinals organization since 1999. He was promoted to general manager in 2013, and in February he signed a four-year contract extension through the 2022 season.
