LOS ANGELES, CA โ CIRCA 1984: Gymnast Mary Lou Retton of the United States competes in the balance โฆ More
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New details have emerged surrounding Olympic gold medalist and gymnastics icon Mary Lou Rettonโs DUI arrest in West Virginia earlier this year. Recently released bodycam footage obtained by Entertainment News shows Rettonโs May 17 encounter with police after being pulled over in Marion County.
Retton won five medals at the 1984 Olympics, including the prestigious all-around title. With her resounding success, Retton became a household name overnight, earning the title of โAmericaโs Sweetheart.โ
Now 57, Retton was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs in May 2025. She was released shortly after on a $1,500 personal recognizance bond and later entered a no-contest plea in court. She was ordered to pay a $100 fine.
Marion County police initiated the traffic stop after receiving reports of a Porsche with Texas plates โdriving all over the roadway.โ WDTZ reported that she was later found in an AutoZone parking lot with a bottle of wine in her passenger seat. Upon confrontation, Retton was allegedly slurring her speech and smelled of alcohol.
In a 33-minute-long segment of raw footage, the 57-year-0ld West Virginia native was captured incoherently arguing with law enforcement officers while failing sobriety tests. Retton can be seen needing supplemental oxygen throughout the footage.
When asked to balance on one foot until directed to stop, Retton objected to the officerโs requests. โOh, come on,โ she said, struggling to maintain balance. Later, she lashed out at the officer when he repeated his instructions, then failed the test.
โI just came to get my nails done,โ Retton pleaded, repeatedly muttering to herself. She then stated her intent to refuse a breathalyzer. โYou know Iโm not going to blow,โ the Olympic medalist said. โThey say, donโt blow,โ she added.
The officer then led Retton through three standard field sobriety tests (FST), to which he suggested Rettonโs Olympic background could be useful. โYou should be pretty good at this,โ he quipped, with Retton emphatically responding, โyeah!โ
Fairmont, West Virginia, December 1984: Mary Lou Rettonโs success has brought her a new set of โฆ More
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In the first test, Retton grinned while failing to properly track the officerโs finger without moving her head. Instead, the Olympianโs attention deviated to the officerโs appearance. โI see it, I see it, I see itโฆIโm looking at your beautiful blue eyes,โ she said.
Retton was then asked to complete the walk-and-turn test, wherein she was tasked with completing eighteen consecutive heel-toe steps while counting aloud. โIโm an Olympic gold medalist,โ Retton declared, proceeding to fail the test.
โShe failed all of (the tests)โ the officer relayed to his colleague. Retton immediately rebutted his claim, โI did notโฆcome on,โ she exclaimed. After being informed of her arrest, Retton becomes increasingly combative.
At the station, she asks to speak with Jimmy Riffle, a Marion County sheriff who retired six months earlier. โI know you know who I am,โ she said, later referring to herself as โWest Virginiaโs first daughter.โ
Retton broke down in tears while in triage at the station, heaving through her statements. โYโall are terrible. I nearly died from double pneumonia. Iโll die here, and you guys will live with that,โ she cried.
Rettonโs health was already in the spotlight before the arrest. In 2023, she was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia and spent time in the ICU, prompting a national outpouring of support.