Celebrity Justice
Cops: Sambora Ain't No Child Endangerer

Law enforcement sources tell us there's a dogfight inside the Laguna Beach PD, where the brass has recommended that prosecutors file child endangerment charges against Sambora for his DUI bust March 26. We're told "a significant number of officers" inside the department feel there's no evidence of child endangerment. There was no smell of alcohol on his breath, and no evidence of dangerous or erratic driving.

Sambora's 10-year-old daughter Ava, along with Ava's 17-year-old cousin and Richie's GF, were also in the car when he was popped. Looks like Richie's blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. But that's not the end of the story.

In order to file child endangerment charges, prosecutors look to the actual behavior of the suspect. In this case, we're told Sambora exhibited no "dangerous conduct." The reason he was stopped in the first place was because his big-ass Hummer had crossed the line in which it was supposed to be traveling. We're told crossing the line was a function of how large the vehicle was, not evidence that Sambora was impaired.

Richie boy was cooperative and responsive at the scene, and many of the cops believe there was "no aggravated conduct to support child endangerment." Why would prosecutors risk losing a high-profile case on a charge where they just don't have the goods? That's what we're thinkin.'

Filed under: Celebrity Justice

Reader Comments

(Page 5 of 5)Previous 15 Comments

61. After the Duke Rape fiasco (Nyfong), betcha the local prosecutor is either up for re-election or wants to become a "high profile prosecutor," so he can get a chance to be "commentator" on Nancy Grace or CNN. What is not disclosed is what Sambora's blood alcohol level was. Was it eactly 0.8%? There is kind of fine line between legal blood alcohol and drunkeness.

By all accounts, Richie was a good husband when he was married to the Golden Girl and a good parent to the kids.

It would be too bad, if this is just another trumped up charge by an overzealous prosecutor, pandering to the press and trying to get his or her name into US magazine.

You go, Rich! Hang in there.

Posted at 6:40AM on Apr 15th 2008 by M.J.Simon

62. As a Patrol officer, I can tell you that crossing the line is only one indicator that someone might be intoxicated. However, I wasn't there and I don't know for how long the Hummer was over the line, traffic conditions, lighting on the street and so on. It doesn't indicate if it was a white line or the yellow line. If it were the white line and traffic conditons were light, I would have summed it up to being a big vehicle in a small lane. Or if people were parked along side the street. Who knows. Only the initiating officer. I am sorry he had the kids in the vehicle at the time but the important part is that everyone in the vehicle as well as innocent people are okay. He will get through this. My thoughts and prayers are with him and the family.

Posted at 6:56AM on Apr 15th 2008 by Bart

63. i quess treatment didn't teach him he could drink like a normal quy,he had a few drinks and still chose to drive with his kid,her cousin and his gf in the car,he had to know there was a good chance he might just get pulled over just because,people from the restaurants phone the cops all the time,he messed up,it is his fault and since jon bon jovi is the boss of him and bon jovi really is a business owned by jon,jon should read him the riot act and fire him if alcohol touches his lips again and not give richie the excuse he gave when he first went into treatment which was richie had a tough year,boo hoo sambora get a fricken brain,he knew he should not have had even one beer,wtf was he thinking,oh,he wasn't

Posted at 7:05AM on Apr 15th 2008 by walkingonsunshine

64. If this cowboy really loved his daughter he'd axe the big a** hummer and drive something more ecologically friendly. Maybe he could take it to Iraq and really know what it's like to be dead or alive.

Posted at 8:12AM on Apr 15th 2008 by comrade heifenzwieger

65. Having blood alcohol over the legal limit DOES NOT EQUAL BEING DRUNK. If you've had a sip of wine a few hours ago, or had food which was mixed with wine, you might test slightly above the legal limit but still be perfectly fine. It's sometimes hard for people to know if their blood level is slightly below or above the legal limit.

That does not mean he shouldn't pay a fine. But child endangerment is a bit over the line IMO. This could have happened to anyone.

Posted at 8:22AM on Apr 15th 2008 by Shattyr

66. Either free Sambora or come to Pittsburgh where nobody drives on their side of the road.

Posted at 8:35AM on Apr 15th 2008 by Not U

67. Richie Sambora has an H2, http://images.caraudiomag.com/features/0508cae_h2_01_s.jpg ...not any larger than my expedition. Sorry, but large SUVs are not as large as the road lanes, so his crossing the line was not "a function of how large the vehicle was". They have a good 2-3 feet of clearance around them if you're driving down a standard US road. It's not like the man owns a REAL hummer, which kind they don't even sell to civilians anymore. That one's only got about a foot of clearance around the truck, which would make you cross the line all the time.
I don't know about everybody else, but I can hold my liquor rather well (or so I'm told). So yeah, he could've behaved pretty sober while still being over the limit. Thing is, I'm not stupid enough to drive, let alone with my kid in the car. Alcohol + driving = DUI/ DWI. Alcohol + driving + kids in the car = DUI/DWI & child endangerment.
Sounds like somebody's well paid legal pitbulls are earning their keep. If he was over the legal limit, even if he didn't behave like he was drunk, he should be charged. What was he doing, drinking and driving, at 11 pm on a school night with his 10 year-old in the car anyways? Kid shoulda been in bed. If I was his ex...I'd have already been back in court. Just another example of the decline of our society.

Posted at 10:27AM on Apr 15th 2008 by M

68. This is not surprising. The Laguna police department sucks. They lie in wait for people in the main town drag and pull them over for no reason. I've gotten two tickets in the 15+ years I've been driving and both were B.S. tickets in Laguna Beach. I refuse to go to the city now. In the last one, the cop was stopped in the middle of the street and I needed to pull out left in front of him from a driveway. I sat there at the edge of the driveway, waiting, waiting for him to move. It was dark, so I figured he was parked like some other officers down the street who were breaking up a bar fight. So after a while of watching him, debating, talking to my friend on whether I could, I pulled out of the driveway. He whips around after me and pulls me over. The first thing he asks is not "Did you see me there?" It was "have you been drinking?" He makes me get out of the car and waves his finger in front of my face for a sobriety test. Which, of course, I passed. Basically, there are only small bars and restaurants in that area. So the police just hang around and as soon as someone gets in their car, they pull them over for NO reason, and pull this "are you drunk" b.s. BOO to the Laguna Beach cops.

Posted at 1:48PM on Apr 15th 2008 by CVo

69. How is driving while intoxicated with a child in the car NOT child endangerment? That makes no sense.

Posted at 3:13PM on Apr 15th 2008 by julie

70. To the person who says that the Laguna Beach police department suck. Give me a break. Police officers are doing their jobs and keeping everybody safe. If Sambora couldn't pass a field sobriety test then he should have been (like he was) brought in to the police station. I like Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, but if it were you and me that this happened to, we couldn't afford the pitbull lawyers that they have at their disposal. We'd be in the pokey, just where he belongs if he is guilty. Stop living in lalaland people, if he broke the law then he pays the price! And...the police are about a big brotherhood and to believe that they are "dissing" each other is quite a stretch. What would you have to gain by dissing your fellow officer? The friendship and gratefulness of Richie Sambora? Lalaland!

Posted at 6:04PM on Apr 15th 2008 by imlivininlalaland

71. If Richie is such a danger & all these hollywood folks have been getting popped for DUI why not outlaw alcohol? I mean more people die from drunk drivers every year than from gun deaths. You hear all these poloticians wanting to outlaw guns, but not one of the bigger killers and also life destroying drugs. Is it because they depend on the tax dollars too much? Or is it because they all drink too? Or is it both? They keep talking about raising taxes on big oil and other companies, but what about the big alcohol companies? We need money for health care raise taxes on alcohol sales by 25%. That would more than cover it.(Maybe) Because we all know hollywood, Washington, and others are going to keep drinking.Maybe because it will hurt the rich peoples pocketbook? Or maybe they want to keep the poor drunk so they will not realize their own Government is running their lives and ruining their country? Give them a bottle, roof, some food, and a quack doctor and they will vote for you.

Posted at 8:42AM on Apr 17th 2008 by stevei

Previous 15 Comments

Hot Tips