Football player pleads guilty to ‘baby DUI’

BEN SCHUH | THE DAILY EVERGREEN

WSU football freshman wide receiver Rodrick Fisher leaves the Whitman County District Courthouse following a hearing for his baby DUI arrest Aug. 24 in Colfax. Fisher pled guilty to the charge Thursday.

CHERYL AARNIO, Evergreen reporter

WSU freshman wide receiver Rodrick Fisher pleaded guilty Thursday to a “baby DUI.”

On Aug. 24, Fisher was arrested and charged with a “baby DUI”. A “baby DUI” is when a driver under 21 tests positive for alcohol.

For a basic misdemeanor like this, the maximum penalty is up to a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail, said Tessa Scholl, Whitman County deputy prosecutor. Fisher will have to pay $993 in fines, but he will not serve any time in jail.

He will also have to go to a DUI victim impact panel within six months, Scholl said.

At an impact panel, people affected by DUI-caused crashes speak about how the incidents impacted their lives. These panels are intended to help drivers with a DUI understand how driving under the influence affects other people and hopefully encourages them to not do it again, according to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving website.

Fisher has 24 months of unsupervised probation. However, if he pays all his fines and successfully completes his probation, he can potentially shorten it to 12 months, Scholl said.

This story has been updated to include an explanation of what a “baby DUI” is.