Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

Caraopolis, Pennsylvania -- TNA World Champion Kurt Angle, the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling, has been ordered to stand trial for Driving Under the Influence in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to Wrestling News Desk.com, District Judge Mary Murray ordered Angle to stand trial after listening to evidence at a preliminary hearing on Tuesday. The charges stem from an incident that took place in Moon Township on September 28, 2007.

TNA Wrestling Champ Kurt Angle Ordered to Stand Trial on DUI Charge

"We're disappointed the magistrate would allow such a case to continue on, based solely on the testimony of a witness who, herself, faces a DUI charge filed by the same department," Angle's Defense Attorney Mike Santicola said. "There has to be some articulable fact that the police officer saw on each element of this crime. They don't have it here."


Police were called on the day in question when the witness said she saw Angle pull out of the Sea Shell Bar and Grill on Beaver Grade Road in Moon Township. The reports allege Angle didn't only almost hit another car, but barely missed slamming into a stop sign as well.

Police traced the truck to Angle, and went to Angle's house. When the officers spoke with Angle, they said he showed signs of intoxication and that he had a mouthful of pills. Police gave Angle a field sobriety test, which they say he failed. Santicola, however, disputed the police account of the field test.


On October 4th, Angle's attorneys issued a complete denial of the alleged DUI, stating "Kurt Angle maintains his innocence relative to the charges brought by the police in this matter. The improper arrest occurred in the middle of the afternoon after Mr. Angle showed no signs of intoxication. The police have no blood alcohol content and not firsthand knowledge of his operation of his vehicle. We believe the motivation for this arrest is based upon Kurt Angle's celebrity status and we are confident that we will prevail when the truth becomes evident."

"The fact the case is going to trial now becomes a real problem for TNA," said Wrestling News Desk editor Matthew Cooper, "their World Champion, who was released from WWE because of his erratic behavior during what many insiders called an intervention by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, is now not only formally charged with Drunk Driving, but has been ordered to stand trial for the offense. With the TNA show completely built around the Kurt-and-Karen Angle soap opera, even the SpikeTV cable network, and executives Doug Herzog and Kevin Kay have to take notice of the potential terrible publicity this can generate."

No trial date has been set yet.