Rooney charged with public intoxication

LOUDON COUNTY, Virginia (AP):

Football star Wayne Rooney was arrested last month at a Washington area airport on a charge of public intoxication, authorities said yesterday.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office in Virginia said Rooney was jailed December 16 after his arrest on the misdemeanour charge by police at the Dulles International Airport in Virginia and then released on his own recognisance. The sheriff's office released a mugshot from his booking that showed Rooney in what appeared to be an orange jail jumpsuit.

Court documents say Rooney was charged with public swearing and intoxication. He paid a US$25 (J$3,200) fine Friday.

The sheriff's office referred further questions to airport authorities. An airport spokesman said he was looking into what happened.

It was not immediately clear what led to the arrest, but Rooney appeared to have been travelling in the days beforehand. He posted a picture on his verified Instagram account on December 14 in an airplane seat and said he was travelling to an auto race in Saudi Arabia.

Before going to play in the US this year, Rooney, 33, starred for Manchester United in the English Premier League. His 208 career goals make him the league's second all-time scorer. He was also the all-time leading scorer for England's national team.

When he joined Washington-based DC United, he became the latest in a series of European stars to play for US-based Major League Soccer late in their careers. He helped the team reach the play-offs last year.

The Washington-based team said in a statement that it was aware of news reports of the arrest, but declined further comment.

"We understand the media's interest in this matter, but we believe this is a private matter for Wayne that DC United will handle internally," the team said.