Former University of Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama pleaded guilty Monday to misdemeanor driving under the influence and was placed on 12 months of unsupervised probation.
Tuitama was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine, attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving impact panel and obtain an ignition interlock device for his car, said Tucson city prosecutor Laura Brynwood.
If Tuitama completes an alcohol evaluation and counseling program prior to September 30, nine days of a 10-day jail term will be suspended, Brynwood said, adding Tuitama has already served the one day.
In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors dismissed other counts against Tuitama, including an extreme DUI charge and a failure to stop at a red light charge.
Tuitama, 21, was pulled over in the area of North Campbell Avenue and East Hedrick Drive at 2:20 a.m. March 6 after McDonald's employees near Campbell and East Fort Lowell Road flagged down a Tucson police sergeant about a suspected drunk driver coming through the drive-thru.
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Tuitama was cited and released, and his car was impounded.
Extreme DUI constitutes a blood alcohol level above 0.15. The legal limit is 0.08.
Tuitama, a Stockton, Calif., native, was arrested two years ago on a charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol. He was 20 years old at the time.
In that incident, Tuitama admitted to drinking and driving before he was contacted by University of Arizona police. He handed over two bottles of alcohol, Arizona Daily Star archives show.
He completed a diversion program and was not disciplined by the team.
Tuitama threw for a school record 9,216 yards and 67 touchdowns during four seasons as the Wildcats' starter.
