Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson pleaded guilty Monday to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop last year in Scottsdale, Ariz.
The ex-boxer entered a guilty plea to a single felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor DUI count. He faces up to four years and three months in prison at his sentencing scheduled for Nov. 19, reports the Associated Press.
A felony charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and a second misdemeanor DUI charge were dropped, according to the terms of a plea agreement.
Tyson was pulled over by cops on Dec. 29 after spending the evening at Scottsdale's Pussycat Lounge. An officer said he saw Tyson wiping a white substance off the dashboard of his black BMW, and that his speech was slurred. Authorities said bags of cocaine were discovered in Tyson's pocket and in his car.
He later told officers that he used cocaine "whenever I can get my hands on it," and that he preferred to smoke it in Marlboro cigarettes with the tobacco removed, according to court documents. He also told police that he used marijuana that day and was taking the antidepressant Zoloft, the documents state.
Since his arrest, Tyson has undergone an in-patient treatment program for what his lawyer called "various addictions." Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Tyson has been clean and sober for eight months.
"It's obvious this was a crime he was committing against himself," Chesnoff said.
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