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SALT LAKE CITY — Real Salt Lake midfielder Sebastian Velasquez pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of DUI and speeding.
Velasquez, 23, was arrested May 19 just before 5:30 a.m. after being pulled over by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper on I-15 near 2700 South. Velasquez was going 84 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
The trooper noticed an odor of alcohol on Velasquez's breath and had him perform field sobriety tests, which he failed, the report states. He was then given a test on the UHP's intox machine and registered at 0.199, or more than twice the legal limit of 0.08, according to the report.
Velasquez was charged on May 27 in Salt Lake City Justice Court with DUI, a class B misdemeanor, and speeding, a class C misdemeanor.
An arraignment was held on Monday and Velasquez pleaded not guilty. A pretrial court date is scheduled for Aug. 20.
Velasquez is in his third season with RSL. Garth Lagerwey, RSL general manager and senior vice president of soccer operations, said he should be back with the team in a few days.
"Under league policy, there's a protocol to be followed under these situations under the joint substance abuse and behavior health program. We have followed the initial steps and we anticipate that Sebastian will rejoin the team in full training by the end of the week," he said in a prepared statement.
