Retired Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton was arrested on a DUI charge in West Virginia after driving her car “all over the roadway” – and being found with a bottle of wine in her passenger seat, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Independent.
Retton, 57, was booked in Marion County on May 17 and faces one count of DUI, according to records posted online by the West Virginia Magistrate Court system.
The former gold medalist smelled of alcohol while she was pulled over and failed a field sobriety test, according to a criminal complaint filed in Marion County court. She refused both a preliminary breath test and a chemical test of her blood, according to police.
“Officers also observed a screw top container of wine in Retton-Kelly’s passenger seat,” the criminal complaint read.
She was also pulled over after officers observed her driving “all over the roadway,” according to the complaint.
The former Olympic gymnast, who was awarded five medals, including a gold medal, at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, posted $1,500 bond the day of her arrest.
When she was just 16, Retton became the first U.S. female gymnast to win an all-around Olympic gold medal in 1984.
Almost four decades later, in October 2023, she was diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia that left her stuck in the hospital and unable to pay her medical bills.
The former athlete told Entertainment Tonight last spring that she was “sobbing” after learning that her family had set up an account on the crowdfunding platform Spotfund to help pay for her treatment. According to Retton, her financial situation became dire following her divorce and the Covid-19 pandemic, which prevented her from participating in speaking engagements.
Donations poured in, amounting to almost $460,000 before the portal was closed. The fund was met with mixed reactions from the public, though Retton defended her daughters for setting up the fund, saying, “They didn’t deserve that. They were just trying to take care of me.”
All the money was put toward her medical bills, Retton said, noting any leftovers were given to the American Lung Association.
“It’s what makes us America; everybody’s got an opinion. You’re welcome to your opinion. But you aren’t in that situation,” she continued. “My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life.”
After several weeks in the hospital, Retton was discharged in late October 2023 to continue her recovery at home.
Retton has remained largely out of the public eye since battling her illness. She was expected to go on a For Mothers and Daughters Forever Our Legacy tour with her daughter, Kelley, in January this year.
Retton last posted on social media in November 2024, about the death of revered – then repudiated – Romanian-American gymnastics coach Béla Károlyi.
