Timberwolves star Al Jefferson must perform 40 hours of community service and participate in a one-day drunken driving seminar for his guilty plea to misdemeanor drunken driving Thursday.
Lawyer Emanuel Serstock entered the plea on behalf of Jefferson, who wasn't required to attend the hearing in front of Hennepin County Judge Mel Dickstein.
The judge sentenced the Wolves center to 30 days in jail, but he won't have to serve the time if he performs the community service, attends the seminar and stays out of trouble. He also must pay a $300 fine.
Jefferson was arrested at 1:08 a.m. on Feb. 28, just three hours after he scored 19 points in a Wolves loss to Portland. Jefferson, who earned $12 million last season, had to sit out two games, which cost him about $293,000 in lost wages.
He immediately apologized to team owner Glen Taylor, his teammate and fans. "I made a very poor decision and I am truly sorry for that," he said.
Jefferson was pulled over for speeding as he left downtown Minneapolis, heading west on Interstate 394, after a trooper clocked his Range Rover traveling 56 miles per hour in a 40-mph zone, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. The trooper also reported observing the car drifting left over the edge of the lane, then changing to the center lane without signaling, prompting him to pull over the car.
Roeske said Jefferson was alone and cooperative, but failed a field sobriety test and a breath test registered above the .08 blood- alcohol content legal limit. He was taken to jail where he was booked on the misdemeanor charge. A blood test revealed his alcohol level at .12 percent.
A fourth-degree DWI is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, but first-time offenders such as Jefferson generally receive lighter sentences.
In 2000, Wolves forward Malik Sealy was killed when a drunken driver crashed into his car going the wrong way on Hwy. 100 in St. Louis Park.
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