SOCCER star Wayne Rooney was arrested last month on a public intoxication charge and taken to jail to sober up after he triggered a door alarm at a Washington-area airport, authorities said Sunday.

Rooney was arrested Dec. 16 by police at Dulles International Airport in Virginia after he caused the alarm to go off at an international arrivals gate, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Authorities said he didn’t breach airport security.

Rooney, who plays for a Washington soccer team, had been traveling abroad in the days prior to his arrest, according to his social media posts.

The airport authority said he was charged with misdemeanor public intoxication and taken to a county jail in the Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital “to be held until sober.” The statement didn’t include further details on his arrest.

The Loudon County Sheriff’s Office said Rooney, 33, was later released on his own recognizance. A mugshot from his booking shows Rooney in what appeared to be an orange jail jumpsuit.

Court documents, which list Rooney as living in the capital suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, show he paid a US$25 fine Friday.

Before coming to play in the U.S. this year, Rooney had starred for Manchester United in the English Premier League. His 208 career goals make him the league’s second all-time scorer.

(SD-Agencies)