Mary Lou Retton's Never-Before-Seen Mugshot Revealed Amid Gold Medalist's Near-Fatal Health Battle
Mary Lou Retton's mugshot is just a small snap of what went down that day.
July 8 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Mary Lou Retton looks like an emotional mess in a new mugshot following her DUI arrest in May, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Olympic hero was cuffed and charged with "driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs; penalties," in May 2025, just months after Retton almost died in a brutal health battle.
Retton's DUI Nightmare
Retton was given a sobriety test before being arrested.
In the mugshot, released by the Fairmont City Police Department, the former athlete is glassy-eyed and appears ready to break down in tears.
Video of her arrest also showed the gold medalist in the middle of a sobriety test, including attempting to walk in a straight line.
After she was pulled over in her Porsche, police on site reported they noticed a “screw top container of wine” in the passenger seat of Retton’s vehicle. The complaint noted she had signs of impairment on all three phases of a field sobriety test.
When officers made contact with Retton, "the odor of alcohol was emitting from her person," and she was slurring her words.
Retton also reportedly refused to have her blood tested for alcohol before she was arrested.
The Olympic hero had been battling health issues before her arrest.
Retton was issued a personal recognizance bond of $1,500, which she posted that same day.
Following the embarrassing incident, it was reported Retton's family was worried about her safety as she appeared to have "vanished." Family members claimed they had not seen or heard from the mother-of-four since her arrest.
However, Retton's attorney, Edmund J. Rollo, hit back at the claims in a blistering statement, calling the report "grossly inaccurate."
The last couple of months for Retton have been a nightmare, kicking off in 2024, when she spent a month at the hospital as she had to be intubated because she couldn’t breathe.
Death Was In The Cards?
She is best known for winning five medals at the 1984 Olympics.
Retton almost died.
"I should be dead," she previously told Hoda Kotb during an interview with Today. "The doctors told (my four daughters) to come to say their goodbyes.
"They prayed over me, and (my daughter) McKenna said, ‘Mommy, it’s OK, you can go. I didn’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I can’t imagine what that was like, to watch their mom on her deathbed."
While she pulled through, the ordeal left Retton shattered.
She said at the time: "It's been really hard. My lungs are so scarred. It will be a lifetime of recovery. My physicality was the only thing I had, and it was taken away from me. It's embarrassing... I'll never be the same."
In order to help with her medical bills and recovery, her children set up an online fundraiser that reeled in close to $460,000. "
"(They) stepped up to the plate and they saved my life,” Retton, who struck gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said.
Despite the good vibes, Retton's daughters – Shayla, McKenna, Skyla, and Emma – received backlash from social media for the fundraiser.
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The 57-year-old's health battle left her with 'scarred' lungs.
"They didn’t deserve that. They were just trying to take care of me," Retton defended her girls in a previous interview.
“I don’t care about the naysayers. There are trolls everywhere. It’s what makes us America. Everybody’s got an opinion.”
Retton added: "You’re welcome to your opinion. But you weren’t in that situation. My daughters stepped up to the plate and they saved my life."
