Lance Armstrong has pleaded guilty to careless driving after hitting two parked cars with his SUV in Aspen, Colorado, a prosecutor has confirmed.The prosecutor also confirmed that Armstrong's girlfriend originally tried to take the blame for the incident.
Armstrong entered his plea by mail on Friday under a plea agreement with prosecutors, closing the case and avoiding a court appearance.
Two other charges, one of failing to report an accident and of speeding too fast for the conditions, were dismissed under the agreement.
Court records show Armstrong paid $238.50 (about €209) to cover court fees and a $150 (about €131.50) traffic fine.
Armstrong’s girlfriend, Anna Hansen, initially told police she had been driving home from an Aspen Art Museum party on December 28th, 2014 when she lost control of Armstrong’s GMC Yukon on icy roads, hitting the two cars.
Ms Hansen said she drove because “Lance had a little bit to drink”, according to police reports.
Detectives later interviewed Ms Hansen, who eventually told them Armstrong was driving but the couple had decided to let her take the blame.
Retracted statement
Ms Hansen also retracted her statement about Armstrong being unable to drive because he had been drinking. None of the charges against Armstrong involved driving under the influence.
“We’ve had our family name smeared over every paper in the world in the last couple of years and, honestly, I’ve got teenagers, I just wanted to protect my family,” Ms Hansen told police.
Police say Ms Hansen and Armstrong left the scene before police arrived.
Ms Hansen reportedly ran up to the house near the damaged cars and apologised to a man who had been renting one of them, promising to pay for the repairs.
Deputy district attorney Andrea Bryan said it is fairly common for people to reach plea deals in such cases and to enter pleas by mail.
Careless driving can be punished by between 10 and 90 days in jail and a fine, but jail time in such cases is rare, Ms Bryan said.
Prosecutors reserved the right to seek restitution for the damaged cars but Ms Bryan said she believes Armstrong has already done that voluntarily.
Armstrong won the Tour de France every year between 1999 and 2005. Those titles were stripped after a report by the US Anti-Doping Agency detailed the use of performance enhancing drugs by Armstrong and his teammates.
PA