Steve Wilkos, the daytime television talk show who is also known for appearing as Jerry Springer's bodyguard on his syndicated program, has recently been arrested and charged with a DUI. Wilkos was involved in an accident last month, which resulted in the TV personality's vehicle hitting multiple poles before eventually flipping over. At the time of the incident, Wilkos sustained only minor injuries and no other human was injured or vehicle impacted by the crash.
Wilkos had originally told TMZ that the accident occurred after he had taken his eyes off the road in order to find his glasses, which were reportedly strewn somewhere in the car. He denied being intoxicated, and solely blamed his reckless driving on his impaired vision.
However, an ongoing investigation into the crash, which happened in Darien, CT., revealed that Wilkos' blood alcohol level at the time of the accident was .29 percent, which is well over the country's legal limit of 0.08 percent. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued, with the talk show host turning himself in late last night. Wilkos was eventually charged with driving under the influence and failure to drive right, and was released shortly after posting a $1,500 bond.
Speaking with TMZ, Wilkos admitted that he had initially lied when recounting how the incident took place, revealing "over the course of my life, I have been struggling with bouts of depression and on the day of my accident, I had a complete lapse in judgment which resulted in me drinking and getting behind the wheel of my car. This experience reinforces my commitment to get the professional help that I need and I have recently completed an intensive medically supervised program."
