Arizona forward Ira Lee was cited for a super extreme DUI early Sunday morning after police say he nearly hit another vehicle on the University of Arizona campus.
Lee, a 20-year-old sophomore, was arrested in connection with being a minor with alcohol in his system and several DUI charges, ranging from impairment to the slightest degree to super extreme DUI, the arrest report said.
He has been referred to the UA’s dean of students office for review under the university’s student code of conduct. The athletic department is “reviewing the incident for team consequences,” according to a statement issued by the UA on Tuesday afternoon.
Two breathalyzer tests issued by campus police 30 minutes after the traffic stop showed that Lee had a blood-alcohol content of 0.215 and 0.198. The 6-foot-8-inch, 230-pound Lee had previously told police he had consumed one beer.
At about 1:30 a.m. Sunday, a UA police officer was stopped at a red light in the area of East Sixth Street and North Warren Avenue when he saw an SUV slam on its brakes to avoid hitting a silver car, driven by Lee, that had made a left turn onto southbound Warren.
The car continued to drive the wrong way down Warren at what the police officer said was over 30 mph, the report said.
Arizona Wildcats sophomore Ira Lee turns 21 years old in March.
The officer caught up to the car near Seventh Street and Warren at a stop sign and conducted a traffic stop. As he approached the car, the officer noted that Lee had his shirt off and was wearing overalls, with one of the straps hanging outside the driver’s side door, according to the report.
The officer asked Lee if he was all right, and Lee responded that his house was right down the street.
When the officer asked Lee if he’d had anything to drink, Lee said, “no no no,” but the officer noted the strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle and said in the report that Lee had red, watery eyes that appeared bloodshot.
The officer told Lee he’d almost hit another car, to which Lee said he knew and that his car registration was at his house. He gave the officer a temporary California driver’s license and was asked to step out of the car for field sobriety tests, the report said. During the “walk-and-turn” test, Lee displayed six out of eight cues that indicate intoxication.
He appeared to pass a second sobriety test, the one-leg stand. A second officer arrived and conducted a third field sobriety test, which Lee failed.
Lee was taken to the campus police department for breathalyzer testing, and was then cited and released to a female friend. His car, a 2017 Hyundai Sonata, was towed.
Court records show that Lee is also facing a misdemeanor charge of failing to yield the left turn at an intersection, in addition to the five misdemeanor DUI charges, according to Pima County Consolidated Justice Court records.
Lee is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 10.
Lee, who will turn 21 on March 19, has been expected to be a major contributor for the Wildcats after averaging just 10.2 minutes per game as a freshman last season. Lee is one of just four Wildcats at two post positions vacated by Deandre Ayton and Dusan Ristic.
Lee averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last season but missed the final four games of the regular season and the Wildcats’ three-game Pac-12 Tournament appearance because of a concussion suffered in practice. He played only one minute in UA’s NCAA Tournament loss to Buffalo.
No active Arizona player has been charged with DUI during ninth-year coach Sean Miller’s tenure. Guard Josiah Turner was arrested by UA police on suspicion of extreme DUI in April 2012, just weeks after the school announced he was leaving the team.
Late in the era of former coach Lute Olson, two UA guards were suspended after being charged with DUI. Hassan Adams was suspended for UA’s two-game appearance in the 2006 Pac-10 Tournament after his arrest, though he was later acquitted of the charges via jury trial. A year later, Daniel Dillon was suspended for UA’s one-game NCAA Tournament appearance following a DUI charge.
Lee’s arrest follows a string of off-court issues that have plagued the Wildcats the last three years.
The dean of students office found wing Elliott Pitts guilty of sexual misconduct in 2015-16, prompting him to leave the team and the school. Standout guard Allonzo Trier tested positive for a PED and missed 19 games in 2016-17, then tested positive again last season. The federal investigation into corruption in college basketball led to the arrest and eventual firing of assistant coach Book Richardson last fall.
