In Marion County, West Virginia, earlier this month, Mary Lou Retton was taken into custody on an allegation of driving under the influence, as stated by court papers that were examined by PEOPLE.
According to the documents that were filed with the West Virginia Magistrate Court system, Retton, who is 57 years old, was taken into custody on Saturday, May 17, on a single count of “driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs; penalties.”
It was the same day that the Olympian posted a personal recognizance bail in the amount of $1,500 that she had been granted before.
The spokesperson of Retton has been contacted by PEOPLE in order to get a comment.
She is the first woman from the United States to ever win a gold medal in the individual all-around gymnastics competition. Since she was sent to the intensive care unit for a rare type of pneumonia about two years ago, she has been arrested.
McKenna Kelley, her daughter, sent a message on her Instagram Story in October 2023 announcing that her mother had been admitted to the hospital. The post included a link to a fundraising page on the website that was specifically set up for her mother.
There is a very unusual kind of pneumonia that my incredible mother, Mary Lou, is battling, and she is fighting for her life. Her ability to breathe on her own is severely impaired. She has been in the intensive care unit for more than a week at this point. It is out of respect for her and her right to privacy that I will not provide all of the information. On the other hand, I will reveal that she does not have insurance,” Kelley said.
She was so unwell that at one point during her month-long hospital stay, the doctors informed her four girls that she may not survive it. This information was provided to PEOPLE in July 2024 by the former contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
Once they had finished praying for me, McKenna told her mother, “Mommy, it’s okay, you can go.” I didn’t have a very close connection with my mother, but I can’t even begin to fathom what it must have been like for them to be able to witness their mother on her deathbed,” Retton added.
In spite of the fact that she claimed that she was able to pull through because “God wasn’t ready for me yet,” the former gymnast expressed her belief that she would “never be the same” again, as she continued to rely on oxygen on a daily basis.
“Really, it has been a challenge. My lungs have a lot of scarring. Recuperation will take a lifetime to complete. My physique was the only thing I had, and it was ripped away from me. I cannot believe it. According to her, “It’s embarrassing.”
