The former US soccer team goalkeeper, Hope Solo, was arrested on Thursday, the 31st of March, in a North Carolina Walmart car park after she was found passed out in her car. The police reported she had her two-year-old twins in the back, and the engine was still running. 

According to the Winston-Salem Police Department spokesperson, the 40-year old former goalkeeper and two-time gold medalist was charged with misdemeanor child abuse, DWI, and resisting arrest. 

She was booked at the Forsyth County Jail but was released soon after, and a court date was set for June 2022.

According to the arrest warrant, a passer-by noticed Hope Solo passed out behind the wheel for over 60 minutes with the car’s engine still running and her twins in the backseat. Also, the responding officer smelled alcohol, and Solo refused to submit to a field sobriety test. With sufficient cause for arrest, they detained her and performed a blood test. 

Solo shares the twins Lozen Orianna Judith and Vitorrio Genghis Steven with Jerramy Stevens, her husband, and former NFL player.

Rich Nichols, Solo’s lawyer, issued a statement but didn’t respond to specific questions regarding the charges and mentioned Solo wouldn’t either.

Nicols said, “On the advice of counsel, Hope can’t speak about this situation, but she wants everyone to know that her kids are her life, that she was released immediately and is now at home with her family, that the story is more sympathetic than the initial charges suggest, and that she looks forward to her opportunity to defend these charges.”

Controversies

During the 2016 Olympics held in Brazil, Hope Solo was booted from the US national soccer team after calling the Swedish team cowards for their defensive play. Her dismissal ended her praiseworthy playing career, which was also plagued with controversy.

In 2015, Hope Solo was suspended from her team for 30 days after she and her husband Jerramy Stevens were stopped in a Soccer-owned Van, and Stevens got charged with DUI.

In 2007, Solo got benched after she publicly questioned Greg Ryan’s (their coach) decision to start Briana Scurry when playing Brazil in the World cup. The public saw these comments as an insult to Scurry.

In 2014, Solo was arrested for being involved in a physical confrontation with a family member. However, these charges were eventually dropped since the family members involved in the case didn’t cooperate.

During the London Olympics prep, Solo built a reputation as a party lover and, in 2012, admitted that she was drunk during the NBC Today Show interview four years prior.

Still, in 2012, the US Anti-Doping Agency issued Solo with a public warning after her urine test came back positive for Canrenone, a banned substance. Despite this minor setback, she and her team went on to win Gold in London.

Career Wins

With the US national team, Solo made 202 appearances, and they had 153 wins and 102 clean sheets (an international record). She went on to win two Olympic gold medals and the World Cup title while with the US soccer team. 

In the 2015 World Cup championship, Solo only allowed three goals in seven impressive games with five clean sheets.

In 2011, Hope Solo became an Icon for women’s soccer because she played in the FIFA World Cup while still recovering from a shoulder injury. She helped her team overcome an early loss and make it to the finals. Although they lost to Japan during penalty shootouts, Solo got the Golden Glove Award for outstanding play.

In 2012, Solo got married to Jerramy Stevens, and they had twins in 2020. After falling short twice, Hope Solo was finally elected to the US Soccer Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is on the 21st of May 2022. 

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If you or a loved one are charged with a DUI in Virginia, hiring an expert DUI attorney is crucial. DUI laws can be confusing, not knowing which tests to submit to, which ones you can refuse, and possible defenses to get the case dismissed. 

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