Mary Lou Retton recently garnered significant attention after getting arrested in West Virginia. The news quickly spread online, stunning fans of the Olympic icon. Now, many fans are curious to know what exactly happened and the reason behind her arrest.
Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI, claims report
Mary Lou Retton was arrested for DUI in Marion County, West Virginia, earlier this month. According to records from the West Virginia Magistrate Court, the gymnast faced a misdemeanor DUI charge for operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Retton posted a $1,500 bond the same day she was arrested on May 17.
This news comes less than two years after Retton was hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia. In October 2023, her daughter McKenna Kelley shared that the former athlete was in the ICU and fighting for her life. A crowdfunding campaign launched by the family raised $200,000 in just one day.
Retton later spoke about her experience in a January 2024 interview on Today, saying she was grateful to be alive after nearly being placed on life support. She told PEOPLE, “It’s been really hard. My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had, and it was taken away from me. It’s embarrassing.”
Retton rose to fame in 1984 when she became the first American woman to win gold in the individual all-around gymnastics event at the Los Angeles Olympics. That year, she took home five medals in total: one gold, two silver, and two bronze. She was also named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year. In 1997, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
Beyond her athletic career, she also appeared in several TV and film roles, including Baywatch and Naked Gun 33 ¹/₃: The Final Insult.
