Hope Solo Pleads Guilty to Driving Intoxicated with Her Kids: 'Easily the Worst Mistake of My Life'

Hope Solo pleaded guilty to driving while impaired at a hearing for her March arrest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Solo, 40, entered the guilty plea on Monday, according to the Winston-Salem Journal, which cited the Forsyth County District Attorney's office. The former U.S. Soccer goalkeeper also posted a statement to Instagram Tuesday in which she referred to the incident as "easily the worst mistake of my life."

"I underestimated what a destructive part of my life alcohol had become," Solo wrote in the statement after announcing that she is "slowly coming back from taking time off."

"The upside of making a mistake this big is that hard lessons are learned quickly," she continued. "Learning these lessons has been difficult, and at times, very painful."

Solo was also charged with misdemeanor child abuse and resisting a public officer, though her attorney said those charges were voluntarily dismissed, according to the Journal.

The Forsyth District judge, Victoria Roemer, ordered Solo to pay a $2,500 fine and $600 for the cost of lab tests, instructed the athlete to "get a substance abuse assessment and complete all recommended treatment," according to the Journal.

RELATED: Soccer Star Hope Solo Arrested in N.C. After Allegedly Driving Her Kids While Intoxicated

If Solo, whose real name is Hope Amelia Stevens, completes those requirements, Roemer said the former goalie would not have to serve a 24-month sentence. The judge also waved an additional 30-day sentence now that Solo has completed 30 days at an in-patient rehab facility, which she began on April 29.

Bruno Zanardo/Getty

Solo mentioned stressors exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in her statement, though she wrote that she is proud of how she and her husband, former NFL player Jerramy Stevens, have raised their 2-year-old twins, Vittorio and Lozen. The former goalkeeper thanked Stevens, whom she married in 2012, for his support, as well as her mother, friends, fans and attorneys, who she wrote understood that "putting my mental and emotional well being first is most important to me and my family."

"I look forward to opening up and sharing more with everyone in the coming weeks," Solo added, before also thanking those who she met while at the rehab facility.

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Sam Wasson/Getty Hope Solo

"Their no nonsense way of leading is a leadership style I have always admired and respected," Solo's statement continued.

"I continue to be a student of the greatest school called life and I will continue to learn and grow from these experiences. I will continue to gain empathy, knowledge, and stories to share."

On March 31, Solo was arrested outside a Winston-Salem Walmart, PEOPLE confirmed with local authorities at the time. Police were called by a person who saw a woman passed out behind the wheel of her vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, according to a press release obtained by the Journal. When the officer found Solo in the car, the engine was still running and her children were sleeping in the backseat.

RELATED: Hope Solo Announces She Is Voluntarily Entering In-Patient Alcohol Rehab After Her March Arrest

Solo initially refused to exit the car and subsequently refused to take a sobriety test, according to the release obtained by the Journal. After police obtained a search warrant, a blood sample test showed that Solo's blood-alcohol concentration at the time was 0.24% and she had THC in her system, according to Journal. The legal BAC limit is 0.08%.

In 2014, during Solo's time playing for the women's national soccer team, she was arrested following an alleged domestic violence incident in which she allegedly hit her sister and nephew. She pleaded not guilty and was asked to sit out for a game after her release. In 2018, the charges against her were dropped.

In the midst of the 2014 controversy, Solo issued a public apology on her Facebook page, calling the situation "highly unfortunate."