Bon Jovi Axman Sambora Pleas No-Contest

Bon Jovi axman Richie Sambora reached a plea deal after prosecutors in Orange County slammed him with two charges of drunken driving. The two charges Sambora faces are misdemeanor charges – one for driving under the influence of alcohol and another for having a blood alcohol level above the permissible limit while driving.

During the hearing at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach, Sambora pleaded no-contest to the second charge of having blood alcohol levels above the permissible limit of 0.08, while the judge dismissed the other charge.

For his offence, Judge Craig Robison sentenced Sambora to informal probation for a period of three years. He would also have to cough up court fees and restitution to the tune of $1,600 and also attend alcohol-offender classes for a period of three months. The terms of the plea also make it mandatory to stay away from drugs and alcohol during his probation.

Spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney Farrah Emami said the sentence Sambora received was the standard punishment handed down to first time offenders. Sambora was lucky the second charge was dismissed, as conviction on both counts could have meant jail-time for up to six months.

he however, did not attend the hearing personally, as a misdemeanor charge does not require the mandatory presence of the person accused. Instead he filed his plea through Blair Berk, his lawyer.

The drunken driving incident happened on the night of March 25, at around 10:52. Sambora was weaving through two lanes of traffic in Laguna Beach’s Pacific Coast Highway. That was when police spotted him and asked him to pull over.

Sambora failed to clear a number of sobriety tests, which was when the police arrested him. Once in custody, police got a blood test done instead of the standard Breathalyzer test. The authorities have refused to divulge or discuss the results of that blood test and have not mentioned the exact level of alcohol in Sambora’s blood.

Sambora was traveling in his Hummer with Heather Locklear, their 10-year old daughter Ava, and one other minor. Because of the minors in his vehicle, the police had recommended a third charge against him, which was child endangerment. The D.A., however, did not pursue that charge against Sambora.