Bruce Springsteen pleaded guilty on Wednesday (Feb. 24) to one of the three charges related to his November arrest at Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey, his lawyer confirms to Billboard.
The musician “voluntarily plead[ed] guilty to a violation of consuming an alcoholic beverage in a closed area, agreeing to a fine of $500,” Mitchell Ansell of Ansell, Grimm & Aaron tells Billboard in a statement. He added that the charges of driving under the influence and reckless driving were dropped because the prosecutor was “unable to provide the necessary evidence.”
“Mr. Springsteen is pleased with the outcome of today’s court appearance,” said Ansell in his statement, noting that the rocker has no previous criminal record.
When news of Springsteen’s arrest broke on Feb. 10, a National Park Service spokesperson said in a statement that the artist “was cooperative throughout the process.” According to New Jersey’s Asbury Park Press, Springsteen’s blood alcohol content at the time of his arrest was .02, a quarter of the legal limit of .08.
According to the Associated Press, a court filing noted that Springsteen had told an officer that he did two shots in 20 minutes, and declined to take a breath test. The AP also reported that the officer wrote in the report that he saw Springsteen take a shot of tequila before getting on his motorcycle.
After news of his arrest broke, Jeep hit pause on their ad featuring The Boss, which aired during the Super Bowl. On Feb. 24, the company issued a new statement to Billboard: “As we stated previously, we paused the commercial until the facts were established. Now, that the matter has been resolved, we are unpausing the film.”
More recently, Springsteen and Barack Obama have launched a new eight-part podcast called Renegades: Born in the USA. It debuted on Feb. 22 on Spotify.