Richie Sambora Formally Charged With DUI, But Why Not Child Endangerment?

Richie Sambora was formally charged with driving under the influence today after being arrested March 25th.

He is facing two misdemeanor counts of DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit. His BAC registered .13.

Sambora, 48, was pulled over in Laguna Beach after he was spotted drifting over the yellow line. He was accompanied by a woman and two children. One of the children is believed to have been Sambora and Heather Locklear‘s child, Ava, who was released to her mother after the incident.

Police requested that the district attorney also charge the Bon Jovi rocker with child endangerment, but for some bizarre reason prosecutors don’t think they have enough evidence to make a strong case against him.

“The charge of DUI in itself indicates you have endangered yourself and others. There would have needed to be additional aggravating circumstances to charge that.”

Now, I’m no lawyer, but isn’t a DUI reason enough? WTF? Are they serious? Because he didn’t crash his car he didn’t put the child’s life in danger? BULLSH*T! He was driving with almost DOUBLE the legal limit!

Just for fun I did a little research to see what other ‘child endangerment’ cases have made the news lately in California, just for comparison. Check them out and then YOU tell ME if it’s fair that Sambora is not being charged with this offense. Keep in mind that I tried to find cases in which there were no injuries or accidents. Apples to apples.

• This woman turned onto a freeway off-ramp then realized she went the wrong way. She made a U-turn to get off the ramp and was spotted by an officer.  She had a 5-year-old child in the car and was arrested on suspicion of DUI. She is facing child endangerment charges.  (LINK)

• In Bakersfield at a security checkpoint, a man believed to be intoxicated with a small boy in the vehicle was arrested and charged with DUI and child endangerment. (LINK)

I don’t know. It just doesn’t make sense to me. After all the energy and education that has been put forth to try and hinder drunk driving I think it is a slap in the face to those who may have lost a child in a DUI accident or to those trying to uphold the law.

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