DWI, reckless driving charges against Bruce Springsteen dropped

FEDERAL prosecutors dismissed charges of driving while intoxicated and reckless driving against Bruce Springsteen in a virtual hearing Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

The rocker pleaded guilty to drinking alcohol in an enclosed area, the lone charge remaining from his arrest last November in a national park in New Jersey.

Springsteen was arrested on Nov. 14 after an officer observed him drinking alcohol in Gateway National Recreation Area.

His arrest was first reported by TMZ earlier this month, following Springsteen’s appearance in a Super Bowl commercial for Jeep.

The ad was later pulled from YouTube and the auto company’s social media channels. (A spokesperson for Jeep did not return a request for comment on whether the commercial would be restored online.)

In his court appearance Wednesday, prosecutors said the rocker’s blood alcohol level did not warrant the more serious charges, the AP reported.

Springsteen told the court he had consumed “two small shots of tequila.”

US Magistrate Judge Anthony Mautone ordered Springsteen to pay a fine of US$540, including court fees.

Springsteen faced federal charges because he was arrested in a national park; a federal DWI charge is punishable by up to US$5,000 and up to six months in federal prison.

Documents from the arrest noted that Springsteen completed several field sobriety tests but refused to take a preliminary breath test. Springsteen told the officer he had consumed two shots within a 20-minute time span before getting on his motorcycle and starting the engine.

The document reported that the musician “smelt strongly of alcohol coming off his person and had glassy eyes.”

In an email statement Wednesday, the musician’s lawyer said Springsteen, who this week released a new Spotify podcast alongside former president Barack Obama, was “pleased with the outcome of today’s court appearance.”