Bruce Springsteen’s DUI and reckless driving charges have been dismissed

Back on November 14, Bruce Springsteen, out for a ride on his motorcycle, pulled over into the Sandy Hook National Recreation Area in New Jersey where he encountered some fans. They offered The Boss one, maybe two shots of tequila. It was Patron, if anyone’s interested.

Unfortunately, some cops witnessed this and when Springsteen rode out, they immediately pulled him over and charged him with a DUI, even though his blood-alcohol level was measured at 0.02. That’s one-quarter of the impaired level in New Jersey.

The cops also insisted that Springsteen was driving recklessly and appeared unsteady.

When word came out earlier this month, there was a mighty backlash from Jeep, for whom Springsteen did a Super Bowl commercial. The ad was pulled and Springsteen’s rep took a big hit.

In a hearing held today (February 24), the charges were read: operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, reckless driving, and the consumption of alcohol in a closed area (the rest stop, which is federal property). But almost immediately after the charges were read, Assistant US Attorney Adam Baker, said that as far as the DUI and reckless driving charges went, the government “cannot sustain its burden of proof.”

The first two charges were dismissed. In the end, Springsteen was fined US$500 for taking a shot of tequila in a place where he shouldn’t have. Oh, and $40 in court fees. That’s it.

Gee, anyone want to offer up an apology? (UPDATE: The Jeep commercial is back on TV.)

More at Rolling Stone and CNN.