Detroit Pistons' Kentavious Caldwell-Pope gets probation in OWI case

Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch: Van Gundy calls KCP 'high-character guy' following arrest Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving early Wednesday morning. Stan Van Gundy says KCP is 'a guy we really believe in.' Recorded March 31, 2017. Video by Vince Ellis, DFP.

Detroit Pistons shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was sentenced to 12 months probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to a lesser charge in connection with a March traffic stop in Auburn Hills.

After an initial charge of operating while intoxicated (OWI), Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of allowing a person to drive under the influence on May 18. The OWI was dismissed.

He also admitted responsibility to an added charge of careless driving.

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At 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills, in the court room of Judge Julie Nicholson, Caldwell-Pope received the probation sentence. He will be under the supervision of a probation officer during the time frame and he will need the court’s permission to leave the state of his primary residence.

Caldwell-Pope, 24, was stopped at 2:52 a.m. March 29 after an officer parked on Auburn Road near Juniper tracked his 2015 Jeep Wrangler going 45 m.p.h. in a 25-m.p.h. zone, according to a police report. He was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Caldwell-Pope registered a 0.098 blood-alcohol level at the scene. At the Auburn Hills police station, at 4:02 a.m. and 4:06 a.m., he registered 0.08 levels. To drive legally in Michigan, one's blood alcohol concentration must be below 0.08.

The incident subjects Caldwell-Pope, who will be a restricted free agent this off-season, to the NBA’s substance abuse policy. The league will conduct its own investigation.

Former Piston Greg Monroe was suspended for two games at the start of the 2014-15 season for pleading guilty to driving while impaired. He registered a blood-alcohol level of .09 during a breath test.

Pistons assistant coach Tim Hardaway was suspended three games at the start of this season for a drunken-driving arrest in April 2016. Hardaway refused a breath test, so officers obtained a search warrant to draw a blood sample. It showed Hardaway's blood-alcohol content to be 0.17.

Dashcam video: Pistons' Kentavious Caldwell Pope arrested The dashcam video from the Auburn Hills Police Department on March 29, when Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving.

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.

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