NBA's Howard has driver's license suspended for not paying fine : court records

[September 17, 2014]  By Barbara Liston
 
 ORLANDO Fla. (Reuters) - The Florida driver's license of Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard has been suspended for his failure to pay a fine for running a red light, court records show, but the team said on Tuesday he was playing basketball in Texas the day of the alleged infraction.

According to the court records, Howard's license had been suspended since at least Aug. 15 for his nonpayment of a $285 fine for running a red light in Winter Park, Florida, on April 14.

"It couldn't have possibly been him," said Houston Rockets spokeswoman Tracey Hughes, who told Reuters that Howard and the Rockets were playing the San Antonio Spurs in Houston on that date. "Dwight played 31 minutes. He scored 20 points and 17 rebounds."

The court records indicate the violation was caught by a red light camera, a device that automatically photographs vehicles that pass through an intersection after the light turns red. Citations are typically mailed later to the car owner after the camera's evidence is reviewed.

Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star who played for the Orlando Magic from 2004 to 2012, kept his central Florida home after leaving the Magic until July 21 when the Orlando Sentinel reported that he sold it for $3.4 million.

Hughes said she did not know whether Howard kept a car in Orlando and, if so, whether other people were authorized to drive it.

She said she could not reach a representative for Howard for further information. Howard's agent did not return a call on Tuesday for comment.

(Reporting by Barbara Liston; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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