Former University of Kentucky Coach Charged with DUI near Lexington

Billy Gillespie stopped for suspicion of drunk driving in Kentucky.

Former University of Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillespie was arrested for driving under the influence in Kentucky around 2:45 am Thursday morning. Lawrenceburg police stopped Gillespie after being alerted to a white Mercedes with Texas license plates driving erratically. They clocked the vehicle doing 63 mph in a 45 mph zone and then observed the vehicle remain motionless at a traffic light for one to two minutes after it turned green.

After the officer initiated a traffic stop, Gillespie appeared unsteady on his feet, slurred his speech and smelled of alcohol. The coach was asked if he had been drinking and he replied ‘no’ and said he had been golfing all day. Gillespie refused to submit to a breath or blood test to check blood-alcohol content. He was taken to the Franklin County jail and booked on suspicion of DUI in Kentucky.

Gillespie, 49, was dismissed just five months ago after coaching the Kentucky Wildcats for two years and compiling a 40-27 record. His contract was for seven years and the break-up has been contentious, with Gillespie suing the university for $6 million.

Gillespie was arrested for drunk driving in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1999, while he was an assistant coach. In 2003, he was charged with suspicion of driving while intoxicated in Texas while holding the head coaching position at the University of Texas-El Paso. Those charges were eventually dismissed by a special prosecutor for lack of evidence.

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