Former NBA and Atlanta Hawks star Mookie Blaylock — still facing charges for a Clayton County wreck that killed a mother of five — is back in jail after pleading guilty to a drunk driving charge in Spalding County.
Blaylock, 46, pleaded guilty Monday to DUI and hit-and-run charges stemming from an incident last March, a spokeswoman for the State Court of Spalding County said Tuesday. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, but was credited for the 14 days he served, attorney Don Samuel told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Within 48 hours of his release from jail, Blaylock must report to an in-patient rehabilitation program, Samuel said.
On March 20, 2013, Blaylock's 46th birthday, he was spotted staggering toward a grocery store and fell in the parking lot after allegedly hitting a vehicle, the Spalding County Sheriff's Office report stated. Then on May 31, Blaylock allegedly caused a head-on crash in Clayton County that killed a 40-year-old mother of five, according to police.
Blaylock was critically injured in the crash, but later turned himself in and was jailed in Clayton County on charges of second-degree vehicular homicide, driving on a suspended license, failure to maintain lane and crossing a center median. His bond was set at $250,000 in that case due to his history of DUIs, although there is no evidence indicating Blaylock was the under the influence at the time of crash.
“I believe often times DUIs are vehicular homicides that didn’t occur,” Judge Daphne Walker said at the time. “It’s something that I take very seriously, even though under the law they’re treated as misdemeanors.”
Blaylock’s next court appearance in Clayton County has not yet been scheduled, Samuel said.
Blaylock, a point guard, played 13 seasons in the NBA, including with the Atlanta Hawks from 1992 to 1999. A two-time, first-team pick to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team, Blaylock finished with career averages of 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.3 steals per game and appeared in the 1994 All-Star game.
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