startribune:Timberwolves guard Anthony Carter was arrested early Friday morning in downtown Minneapolis and has been charged with drunken driving. But any potential discipline from the team will wait until after the legal process has run its course.
Carter was released from Hennepin County jail shortly after noon Friday and has a court date scheduled for March 10.
Carter was spotted by police officers near the Target Center making "several driving violations" shortly after 2 a.m., according to the police report. He was pulled over and failed both a field sobriety test and a blood-alcohol test. A subsequent Breathalyzer test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.17. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08.
Carter was charged with fourth-degree drunken driving. He was initially held for a gross misdemeanor because of a previous arrest for drunken driving, in California, within the past 10 years.
But because the two states have different laws regarding a suspect's rights to representation in such cases, Friday's charge was lowered.
Through his attorney, Emanuel Serstock, Carter expressed regret for the incident.
"I want to apologize to the Timberwolves organization and in particular to [owner Glen] Taylor ..." Carter said. "I want to minimize the distraction that this incident may cause my teammates and understand that this is my responsibility to deal with. ... I have been advised to not comment publicly about the specifics of this matter. Again, I do apologize."
Carter, 30, is in his seventh NBA season, his second with the Timberwolves. Primarily a backup, he was inserted into the lineup as a starter at point guard by coach Dwane Casey for a stretch in February. Eventually supplanted as a starter by Marcus Banks, Carter has not played the past three games.
"We are extremely disappointed in Anthony Carter's actions ..." Timberwolves Vice President for Basketball Operations Kevin McHale said in a statement released by the team. "The Minnesota Timberwolves do not condone this type of behavior or any actions that negatively impact our franchise. Disciplinary action will be determined once all the deals are made clear and Anthony has had an opportunity to defend himself through the legal process."
Presumably, Carter would be available to play in the Wolves' game Sunday against Golden State.
