A former NFL player who spent seven seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles was charged Thursday with driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his car in rural western Centre County.
Juqua D. Parker, 47, who resides in Huntingdon County, crashed his Chevrolet Corvette at about 1:45 a.m. on March 29 on the 3200 block of W. Pine Grove Rd., according to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Ferguson Township police. An officer arrived to find the vehicle had “severe disabling damage” and the airbags had been deployed.
No one else was in the car, and aside from a minor laceration on his finger, Parker was uninjured, police wrote.
Parker told police that he had been driving home from Champs Downtown in State College, where he said he had two drinks, according to the affidavit. An officer wrote, however, that Parker’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, his speech was mumbled and he emitted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage.
After performing unsatisfactorily on a field sobriety test, Parker was taken to Mount Nittany Medical Center, where he agreed to a blood test, according to the affidavit. A lab report showed Parker had a blood alcohol content of .160, twice the legal limit, police wrote.
Parker was charged with misdemeanor counts of DUI and DUI with a blood alcohol content of .16 or higher. He was arraigned via summons on Thursday.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 2.
Parker played 12 seasons as a defensive end in the NFL after signing with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2001. He spent four season with the Titans before signing with the Eagles in 2005, becoming a full-time starter by 2008. He played his final NFL season with the Cleveland Browns in 2012.
