Bruce Springsteen drunk driving charge dropped by prosecutors
When it comes to the drunk driving case against Bruce Springsteen, it sounds like prosecutors couldn't quite prove it all night.
Prosecutors dropped charges of drunken driving and reckless driving against Springsteen during a hearing on Wednesday, ABC News reports. He did, however, plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of consuming alcohol in a closed area and will pay a $540 fine.
Springsteen was arrested at Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey in November after he was reportedly spotted taking a shot of tequila before he got on his motorcycle. He acknowledged in a Wednesday hearing he had "two small shots of tequila" at the park, where the judge noted alcohol consumption was permitted up until a few years ago, Rolling Stone reports. Asked during Wednesday's hearing how long he needs to pay the $540 fine, Springsteen reportedly told the judge, "I think I can pay that immediately."
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The rocker had initially declined to take a preliminary breathalyzer test, but ultimately took one at the ranger station that showed his blood alcohol content was 0.02, lower than the legal limit of 0.08, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Baker said, according to ABC. Baker acknowledged the government couldn't "sustain its burden of proof" on the DWI and reckless driving charges, per Rolling Stone.
News of the charges against Springsteen broke days after he starred in a Super Bowl commercial for Jeep, which paused the ad "until the actual facts can be established."
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