When Tiger Wood crashed into a fire hydrant and his neighbor’s tree after Thanksgiving, he made hundreds of people angry at the Florida Highway Patrol, reports the Orlando Sentinel. A Sentinel review of more than 400 e-mails to the patrol found that people flooded the agency with concerns or complaints, accusing it of doing shoddy work and treating Woods more like a celebrity than a suspect. People were upset that day after day, Woods’ wife, agent, or lawyer turned away troopers who wanted to question the golfer and to gather evidence about whether Woods was driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs.
Wrote one man from Canada, “I have to ask, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING. The FHP in this incident is being bullied, and mocked by Tiger Woods. … Shame on You FHP and get back to business.” Other e-mailers compared the agency to a squad of Barney Fifes. Wrote one man, “I’ve seen better work by a mall cop.” The patrol never did interview Woods. In the end, the patrol. Press secretary Ann Howard said the patrol handled its investigation professionally and treated Woods no differently from any other driver involved in an accident.