Rick Springfield mug shot, May 2011
First, they called him Bruce, now they call him jailbird: the former pop star and soap star known as Rick Springfield was pulled over in Malibu, California Monday night and hauled in for driving under the influence.
Law enforcement agents saw Springfield speeding down the Pacific Coast Highway around 8:00pm Monday. To prevent the man from hurting himself, other drivers, or his sweet 1963 Corvette, they flagged him down and offered him a breathalyzer. A couple of exhales later, Springfield's blood-alcohol content rang in at .1 -- not much higher than California's .08 limit, but still enough to earn him a trip to the pokey.
We're happy to report, however, that Springfield was sprung around 2:00 Tuesday morning on a $5,000 bond. He's expected in court on July 5.
As a former teen idol and soap opera doctor, Springfield makes for an easy snark target, but we feel inclined to give the man a break. After all, we've seen many folks -- celebs and plebes, alike -- pulled over for far worse infractions. Besides, the poor guy has suffered through a relationship with The Exorcist's Linda Blair, not to mention some of the worst plastic surgery since Mickey Rourke. How he continues to tour is beyond us.
