ST. LOUIS — Former St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin pleaded guilty on Thursday to a DWI charge.
Prosecutors charged McLaughlin, 48, in early December as a persistent offender with one count of driving while intoxicated and one misdemeanor count of failing to drive within a single lane.
The Creve Coeur Police Department said it received two calls about a suspected drunk driver in a white sedan. An officer found the reported car heading east on Ladue Road before taking Interstate 270 northbound.
The officer noticed the car failing to stay in its lane, so the officer pulled the car over and "discovered several clues to indicate the driver was impaired." Based on the result of a field sobriety test, he took McLaughlin into custody on suspicion of DWI.
McLaughlin pleaded guilty to both charges on Thursday, according to court documents.
McLaughlin released a statement on social media Monday regarding his situation and what happened since.
"My life, as I knew it, was essentially over at 6:15 p.m. and less than three miles away from my home on that Sunday evening," he said in the statement.
In the statement, he went on to talk about his struggles with alcohol before his arrest. McLaughlin writes that he went through outpatient therapy and is attending Alcoholics Anonymous.
"I'm on the right path. It won't happen overnight, but I know I am doing the work I need to do to heal," McLaughlin wrote.
McLaughlin and Bally Sports Midwest announced in mid-December that he would be stepping away from broadcasting after the charges came to light.
He was previously charged and pleaded guilty to two DWIs, one in 2010 and one in 2011.
In 2010, McLaughlin was sentenced to two years of probation and in 2011 was sentenced to a suspended, 90-day sentence.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Bally Sports Midwest announced their new play-by-play broadcaster, Chip Caray, in January.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.
