Bon Jovi's Richie Sambora Plea-Bargains DUI; gets probation, fine

Laguna Beach, CA

Just hours after Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora was officially charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI, he plea-bargained the case, according to TMZ.

Sambora pleaded no contest to a charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher, the site reported (Sambora's blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest was reportedly .13). Another charge of driving under the influence was dropped.

Sambora, 48, will pay around $1,600, including a $390 fine and penalties, according to the site. He will be placed on three years' "informal probation" and will be required to attend an alcohol education course. He cannot drink or abuse drugs during his probation.

Sambora avoided a charge of child endangerment, stemming from his March 25 arrest in Laguna Beach, California. At the time he was pulled over, Sambora's girlfriend and two young girls — one of them Ava, his 10-year-old daughter with Heather Locklear — were in the car.

Sambora's problems with alcohol led him to enter a 30-day rehabilitation facility in Los Angeles last spring.

The guitarist, who recently split with actress Denise Richards, had ended his marriage to Locklear last April — right on the heels of the death of his father, who'd succumbed to lung cancer.

Not long after he entered treatment last June (his second rehab stint in a year), Sambora appeared on the "Today" show to talk about his problems with alcohol. "I was just drinking too much and I needed to get my life together," he said during the interview. "I'm still in therapy and stuff like that, but it's good. I'm great. I feel fine."

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Cops want Richie Sambora charged with child endangerment in DUI case

Laguna Beach, CA

Richie Sambora might not be wanted dead or alive, but he could soon find himself on the wrong end of the law.

Laguna Beach police are recommending that Sambora be charged with child endangerment after he was pulled over for drunken driving on March 25 with daughter Ava in the car.

“We did ask for a misdemeanor child endangerment charge to be filed against him,” Sgt. Jason Kravitz exclusively tells E! News. “We also recommended they charge him with misdemeanor DUI.”

Kravitz says it is up to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to make the ultimate decision on what charges Sambora will face. More >>

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Richie Sambora may not have been DUI, case may be dismissed

Laguna Beach, CA

Richie Sambora may dodge a bullet in his DUI bust earlier this week, and not because of legal footwork -- because he may not have been DUI.

Sambora volunteered to submit to a blood alcohol test after he was popped in Laguna Beach. It may take a week before we know the results. But several sources -- who know what the alleged drunk drank -- tell TMZ Richie simply didn't drink much at all before the cops stopped him, and the blood test may register below the .08 legal limit in Calif.

True enough, if he was driving erratically and had any alcohol in him, he could still theoretically be charged with DUI. But that may not be in the cards either.

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Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora arrest for DUI, may be charged with child endangerment

Laguna Beach, CA

Following his arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence Tuesday night, Richie Sambora could also be facing child endangerment charges, Access Hollywood has learned.

A woman and two girls were passengers in the car, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz, who declined to release their names. But Celebrity Web site TMZ.com reports that a police source said Sambora’s 10-year-old daughter with ex-wife Heather Locklear, Ava, was in the car with him.

The 48-year-old Bon Jovi guitarist was given field sobriety tests and arrested without incident. He was booked at the Laguna Beach jail and released at 4 a.m., Kravetz said Wednesday. More >>

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