UConn's Olander takes plea deal after DUI arrest

STORRS, Conn., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- University of Connecticut basketball player Tyler Olander, arrested for drunken driving this month, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, his lawyer said.

Olander was stopped while driving near the UConn campus at 10:49 p.m. Sept. 7. He was initially charged with driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and driving/towing an unregistered vehicle. The Hartford Courant reported a source said Olander was driving a friend's car at the time and told police he was the "designated driver." Officers said he failed field sobriety tests but when they transported him to the station for a breath test Olander tested under the 0.08 percent legal limit for blood-alcohol content while driving, the Courant said.

Prosecutors dropped the DUI and no registration charges in Superior Court in Rockville, Conn., Monday, and Olander paid a $75 fine for driving without a license.

The arrest was Olander's second in six months. The first came during a trip to Florida when he was arrested for trespassing after being found on a property where a party was taking place without the required wrist band. When the homeowner asked Olander to leave he refused and became combative, the Courant said.

That incident earned Olander, a captain on the Huskies basketball team, a suspension. The second arrest prompted new Huskies Coach Kevin Ollie to suspend Olander indefinitely.

Ollie hasn't spoken publicly about Olander's situation since the suspension. The 6-foot, 10-inch senior forward started 23 games last year for the Huskies, struggling frequently. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Olander said he hopes to put his legal troubles behind him and repair his reputation.

"I hope people don't see this as a reflection of who I am," he said Monday. "I hope they see I'm a good kid. I've just made some mistakes, as everybody does."