Bon Jovi Guitarist Booked For Driving Under Alcohol Influence

Richie Stephen Sambora, the lead guitarist of Rock Band ‘Bon Jovi’ was arrested in Laguna Beach, California, on Tuesday night for driving under the influence of alcohol.

He was accompanied by his girlfriend and his 10-year-old daughter Ava while driving a black Hummer on Coast Highway when an officer saw him straddling lanes and pulled him over at Brooks Street, said Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz. The guitarist could face criminal charges, said the police.

Sambora was asked to perform both verbal and manual field sobriety tests on the scene, on failing which, he was given a blood alcohol test, the results of which are still pending and may take about a week.

The 48-year-old rock guitarist was very co-operative, said the police and booked him on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence. After Sambora was pulled over, the police called Ava's mom, Heather Locklear, who allegedly requested the woman who was in the car, to drive the minor home.

Sambora was released at 4 a.m., and has been scheduled to appear at the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach on May 7.

The guitarist has had rough experiences in the recent past. He split with actress Denise Richards after their year-long relationship. During the same month his divorce from actress Heather Locklear was finalized and his father died.

Sambora, a founding member of Bon Jovi, had been drinking excessively and entered a treatment facility last year. He is still under therapy.

Last June, the guitarist made his second rehab stint in a year. Sometime later, he 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."