DUI

Infamous "American Idol" bikini girl Katrina Darrell plans to fight all the charges against her stemming from her DUI arrest yesterday, saying she did not flee the scene of an accident and claiming she wasn't even drunk at the time!

As TMZ first reported, Darrell was busted just after midnight in Los Angeles on Friday for fleeing the scene of an accident and failing a breathalyzer test with blood alcohol level of twice the legal limit. Katrina had told police she was in a rush to get her mother to the hospital.

But Katrina's manager, Michael Blakey, tells TMZ Katrina was indeed taking her mother to the hospital because she had taken a nasty fall at home and was bleeding from the head.

Race car driver Chris Rado has a driving related problem that has nothing to do with a pro race -- he's been busted for suspicion of DUI.

According to our sources, Rado was pulled over for an unknown traffic violation early Friday morning. We're told officers detected an odor of alcohol, so they administered a field sobriety test ... the results of which were enough to book him on misdemeanor suspicion of DUI.

Rado was held on $5,000 bail, which he posted Friday afternoon.

Katrina Darrell -- the chick who famously auditioned for "American Idol" in a bikini back in 2009 -- was arrested this morning for DUI ... TMZ has learned.

According to Pomona PD Sgt. Patrick O'Malley, the 24-year-old singer ... also known as "Bikini Girl" ... was arrested in Los Angeles at 12:16 AM ... with her mother in the passenger seat.

Darrell allegedly told police she was en route to a nearby hospital ... because her mom had fallen down at home.

But while Katrina was driving to the hospital, she allegedly ran a red light and smashed into another vehicle.

Darrell allegedly tried to flee the scene ... but a nearby officer who heard the crash responded and pulled over Katrina's 2004 Toyota Camry.

When the officer approached Katrina, he smelled booze ... and gave her a field sobriety test. She performed poorly ... and was arrested for DUI.

Katrina -- who was crying hysterically during the arrest -- was hauled to a nearby police station ... where she took a breathalyzer test ... and blew a .15 and a .17 ... WAYYYY over the legal limit, .08.

Katrina was eventually cited and released just after 6AM. As for her mom, an ambulance was called to the scene of the arrest ... but her condition is unclear.

Things could get worse for Katrina ... we're told she could also face charges for hit and run for allegedly trying to flee the scene of the initial accident.

‘American Pie’ actor Chris Klein says he had such a terrible problem with alcohol ... it nearly killed him.

TMZ broke the story ... Klein was arrested in 2010 for driving on an L.A. freeway with an EXTREMELY high blood-alcohol level ... and checked into rehab shortly after the bust.

Now, Klein is telling People.com ... if he didn't get help, "I would have died, and I think about that every single day.”

Bobby Brown has just been charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.

We're told Bobby blew a .12 blood alcohol level when he was busted on Monday just after noon.

Both offenses are misdemeanors. Each offense carries a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail. Bobby could also be fined $1000 per offense.

As we reported, cops stopped Bobby when they saw him in his car yakking on his cell phone. Cops then smelled a strong odor of alcohol. Bobby didn't do well on the field sobriety test and he was cuffed and booked.

1:36 PM PDT -- Law enforcement sources tell us ... Brown's license had been suspended because he got a speeding ticket in 2010 and failed to show up for his court date.

Former Korn drummer David Silveria tells TMZ ... he blew a 0.0 on the breathalyzer during his DUI arrest this week ... but says cops nailed him anyway over a sleeping pill he took the night before.

TMZ broke the story ... Silveria was popped in Huntington Beach, CA on Sunday at 10:45 AM.

Silveria is adamant he hadn't been boozing ... telling us he suffers from insomnia and took a sleeping pill Saturday night to help him rest. When he woke up Sunday morning, David says he didn't realize he was still too tired to drive ... and accidentally rear-ended another car on the way to breakfast.

Cops arrived to the scene and put David through a standard DUI test ... but Silveria tells us they didn't detect a drop of alcohol in his system.

Silveria says he told the cops about the sleeping pill ... and that's when they made the decision to arrest him for DUI.

Bobby Brown's legal team has finally released a statement regarding the singer's DUI arrest this week ... and it's obvious ... they don't feel comfortable saying he wasn't drinking before he got behind the wheel.

TMZ broke the story ... Brown was pulled over Monday afternoon in L.A. for allegedly talking on his cell phone while driving ... and during the stop, cops say they noticed Brown was drunk ... so they popped him for DUI.

Now, Brown's lawyer Tiffany Feder has released a statement saying ... “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty and Mr. Brown was not driving erratically. He was speaking on his cell phone. Mr. Brown has not been convicted of anything associated with this incident."

She adds, "Mr. Brown is taking this matter seriously and an investigation is underway. The legal process shall run its course."

What's interesting ... although the lawyer is quick to say Bobby wasn't driving erratically, she doesn't say he wasn't drunk.

2:52 PM PST -- Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops believe Brown was DRUNK at the time of his arrest.

Brown was booked for driving under the influence and for driving with the blood alcohol content of .08 or higher.

Bobby Brown has just been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Bobby was pulled over in Reseda, CA at 12:20 PM PST for allegedly driving while talking on a cell phone.

We're told 43-year-old Bobby is currently in custody in Van Nuys jail. It's unclear what substance cops believe Brown had been using before he got behind the wheel.

Whitney Houston's ex-husband already has a DUI conviction on his record stemming from an arrest in Georgia in 1996. He eventually pled guilty to DUI and served 8 days in jail.

Brown has been back in the news ever since Whitney died in a Beverly Hills hotel room on February 11. Bobby was turned away from the death scene and left the funeral service early after a disagreement with Houston's family.

2:38 PM PST -- Sources tell us ... Bobby has already bailed out of jail.

1:54 PM PST -- Sources close to the singer tell us ... Bobby's "people" are en route to the jail to bail him out.

Pittsburgh Steelers legend Hines Ward had ONE concern during his DUI arrest last summer ... the media finding out about it -- this according to police dash cam footage obtained by TMZ.

During the tape, Ward asks one of the arresting officers, "This going to be all on the newspaper though?" The officer replies, "Only if you tell somebody."

DUI is no laughing matter -- but there is one funny moment, when Hines was sitting in the back of the squad car and the officer slammed on the brakes ... sending Ward's forehead into the plastic divider.

TMZ broke the story -- Ward was arrested in DeKalb County, Georgia last July after a police officer observed the football star failing to maintain lane in his Aston Martin ... and hitting a curb.

Danny Veltri -- the guy who won "Hell's Kitchen" in 2009 -- was arrested at a gas station in Florida this weekend after cops say he went too heavy on the booze before getting behind the wheel.

According to police, cops got a call about an intoxicated driver at a gas station around 4:15 AM Sunday morning ... and when they arrived at the scene, Veltri was "intoxicated and in control" of a 2005 Dodge Neon.

Cops say Veltri took a breathalyzer test ... and his blood alcohol level was a .12 ... way over the limit, .08.

Veltri -- who's now a GM at a place called the Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill near Daytona Beach -- was eventually hauled to a nearby station where he was booked and released on $500 bail.

Retired NFL star Eddie George was sitting in the passenger seat ... when pro golfer Rachel Connor was busted for drunk driving in Florida early this morning ... TMZ has learned.

Connor -- a 21-year-old British golf pro -- was pulled over at 2:21 AM in Sarasota, Florida ... after cops say they noticed her speeding and weaving in her lane.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ ... cops smelled booze when they approached the vehicle ... and Connor admitted to drinking 2 vodka cranberries earlier in the evening.

Cops noticed a man in the passenger seat ... who was identified as 38-year-old Eddie George ... former NFL star and Heisman Trophy winner.

According to the report, Connor was given a breathalyzer test and blew a .133 and a .137 ... way over the legal limit, .08. Cops say she had trouble walking straight and couldn't count in numerical order.

According to the report, Cops asked Rachel if she could turn back the clock and change any of her decisions what would it be? ... And Rachel responded, she would have decided "not to drive."

Hours before the arrest, Connor tweeted a photo of Eddie on the golf course ... and another photo of herself and Eddie posing together at an event.

For the record -- Eddie was NOT arrested. We're told he took a cab home after the incident.

We called reps for both Eddie and Rachel -- so far, no response.

Boxing champ Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. -- son of the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez -- will have to fight to stay out of jail ... 'cause he was just charged with DUI stemming from an arrest earlier this year.

TMZ has learned ... the L.A. City Attorney has decided to hit Chavez with 3 misdemeanor charges ... 2 for drunk driving and 1 for driving without a valid license.

If convicted on all counts, JCC could face up to a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine.

He's due back in court to face the judge later this month.

Hines Ward better stay out of trouble for the next 12 months ... 'cause the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has been sentenced to a year of probation stemming from his 2011 DUI arrest.

TMZ broke the story ... Ward was arrested for DUI in DeKalb County, Georgia on July 9 ... after cops say he was driving his Aston Martin like a drunken maniac ... weaving in and out of his lane and hitting a curb.

Now, Ward has struck a plea deal with prosecutors ... in which he pled guilty to reckless driving and no contest to failure to stay in his lane (below) ... and in exchange, the DUI charge was dropped.

Ward was sentenced to 12 months probation, 80 hours of community service and ordered to submit to an alcohol evaluation and any treatment suggested by the evaluators.

He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in fines and court costs.

Former "Home Improvement" star Taran Noah Smith has been charged with driving under the influence and possession of hash stemming from an arrest earlier this month ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... the 27-year-old was popped in L.A. County on Feb 1 when cops saw him behind the wheel of a Honda Accord that was parked in front of a fire hydrant. Once they investigated the situation, we're told Smith had a "strong odor" of cannabis.

If convicted on both misdemeanor counts, Smith faces up to a year and a half in jail and $1,500 in fines.

He's due back in court in March.

"Final Destination 3" star Ryan Merriman has just been sentenced to a fate worse than jail in his DUI case -- alcohol education classes.

TMZ broke the story ... Merriman was charged with two counts of DUI last month after his boozy November arrest in Newport Beach. The actor pled no contest today to driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, and the remaining DUI count was dismissed.

Showing no mercy, the judge sentenced Merriman to an accelerated alcohol program -- and 3 years informal, unsupervised probation.

Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno was arrested for drunk driving in Denver earlier this month ... and in an ironic twist of fate, cops say the license plate on his ride read "SAUCED."

According to the Denver PD, 24-year-old Moreno was driving his convertible Bentley on Feb. 1 when he was pulled over for doing 70 in a 45 ... in a construction zone.

Police say Moreno smelled like booze ... and when he performed poorly on a field sobriety test, they arrested him for DUI.

Cops say Moreno was "very respectful and polite."

The Broncos released a statement ... saying, "We take the incident involving Knowshon Moreno very seriously and are thoroughly reviewing this matter. Our organization will continue to gather information and closely monitor this issue while the legal process runs its course."

Thanks to FastandRare.com for a shot of the Bentley.