Mary Lou Retton Arrested on DUI Charge in West Virginia

Retton was arrested on Saturday, May 17, on one count of DUI in Marion County

mary lou retton olympics 1984; mary lou retton 2024
Mary Lou Retton in 1984 (left) and in 2024 (right).Credit : David Madison/Getty; NBCUniversal

NEED TO KNOW

  • According to court records from the West Virginia Magistrate Court system, Retton, 57, was arrested on Saturday, May 17, on one count of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs;penalties”
  • The Olympian was issued a personal recognizance bond of $1,500, of which she posted that same day
  • PEOPLE has reached out to Retton’s representative for comment

Mary Lou Retton was arrested on a DUI charge earlier this month in Marion County, W.V., according to court records reviewed by PEOPLE.

According to court records from the West Virginia Magistrate Court system, Retton, 57, was arrested on Saturday, May 17, on one count of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs; penalties.”

The Olympian was issued a personal recognizance bond of $1,500, which she posted that same day.

Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton in the 1984 Summer Olympics.Focus on Sport/Getty

Retton is the first American woman to win a gold medal in individual all-around gymnastics. Her arrest comes nearly two years after she was in the ICU with a rare form of pneumonia.

Her daughter, McKenna Kelley, announced that she was hospitalized in October 2023 in a post on her Instagram Story which included a link to a Spotfund page dedicated to her mom.

“My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she not insured,” said Kelley.

In July 2024, the Dancing with the Stars alum told PEOPLE that she was so sick that at one point during her month-long hospital stay, the doctors told her four daughters she might not make it.

“They prayed over me, and McKenna said, ‘Mommy, it’s OK, you can go.’ I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can’t imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed,” said Retton.

Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton on ‘Dancing with the Stars’.Eric McCandless/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

While the former gymnast said that she pulled through because “God wasn’t ready for me yet,” she felt she’d “never be the same” again, as she said she still relied on daily oxygen.

“It’s been really hard. My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had and it was taken away from me. It’s embarrassing,” she said.

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