Former Chicago Bulls Star and Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman on Monday has been charged with a hit-and-run stemming from a wrong-way freeway crash. The crash occurred last July 20 on Interstate 5 in Santa Ana, Southern California.
Dennis Rodman, 55, was formally charged by the Orange County prosecutors with misdemeanor charges. The charges filed include one misdemeanor count of hit-and-run with property damage, one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle across a dividing section, one misdemeanor count of giving false information to a police officer, and one misdemeanor count of driving a motor vehicle without a valid license.
If convicted, Dennis Rodman could face a maximum of 2 years in county jail. The arraignment is scheduled on Jan 20, 2017. According to police reports, at around 12:30 am, Dennis Rodman was driving his SUV and travelling north in a southbound carpool lane. As a result, Dennis Rodman was driving head-on with an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the other car, in order to avoid a collision, was then forced to swerve and subsequently crashed into a dividing wall.
The driver of the other vehicle called 911 and the California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the scene. Dennis Rodman fled the scene before police arrived and he was accused of not giving information to the other driver.
Paul Meyer, Dennis Rodman's defense attorney, maintained however that the accident occurred due to a poorly signed exit ramp. He further added that Dennis Rodman adjusted his driving to avoid any collision and that Rodman stopped and spoke with the other driver.
A 2 time NBA All -Star, Dennis Rodman started his NBA career when the Detroit Pistons drafted him 3rd in the 2nd round (27th overall) in the 1986 NBA Draft. Joining a team coached by Chuck Daly and that has Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Adrian Dantley, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, John Salley, and later on Mark Aguirre, they were called the "Bad Boys" because of their style of play. Together they won 2 titles.
After 8 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Dennis Rodman joined David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs where he played for 3 seasons. Before the start of the 1995-1996 season, the San Antonio Spurs traded Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue. Together with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Chicago Bulls won 3 straight titles including a then record 72-10 season in Dennis Rodman's first season with the Bulls.
