'General Hospital' star and rocker Rick Springfield arrested on bench warrant

Former "General Hospital" star and singer Rick Springfield, who is scheduled to return to the soap in April, was arrested on a bench warrant in Malibu, CA this morning, Mar. 8.

Springfield posted about the arrest himself on his official Facebook page with a photo of the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station, stating, "my home away from home. Lost Hills Sheriff Station. Arrested this am on a bench warrant. I didn't know that I was supposed appear in court a few weeks ago. It was to do with the old DUI charge and it's been cleared up and I am free to go."

"General Hospital" airs weekdays at 1 p.m. PST on Riverside affiliate KABC channel 7.

The 61-year-old was arrested back in May of 2011 on suspicion of drunk driving when he was pulled over on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu for speeding in his 1963 Corvette. At the time, the officer noted signs of intoxication and administered field sobriety tests, which Springfield apparently failed, prompting his arrest. The musician had spent that day at the 16th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at USC, promoting his book "Late, Late at Night."

In August of 2012, the singer pleaded no contest to reckless driving in a plea deal, avoiding any jail time for the incident. Apparently, however, there were still some loose ends to wrap up which Springfield found out the hard way on Friday, though he didn't indicate how the arrest took place.

It appears all is well now as Friday's Facebook post went on to say, "thought I might miss the gig tonite [sp] but I will be there and we will celebrate together. Life is not boring."

That gig is Springfield's performance at the Eagle Mountain Casino in Porterville, CA tonight at 8 p.m. Tickets are still available.

Rick Springfield played Dr. Noah Drake on the ABC soap "General Hospital" in the 80's and has returned for brief stints in the last decade, including a return in 2007 as an entirely different character, rocker Eli Love, who bore a striking resemblance to Dr. Drake.

Springfield is due to make another return to fictional Port Charles with his real-life son, Liam Springthorpe, for the show's 50th anniversary celebration in April. Springthorpe will play an undercover cop, while Springfield stated in an interview with Access Hollywood he's not sure what his role will be upon his return.

"I haven't seen a script," he told Access . "I have no idea if I'm, Eli Love or [if] I'm Noah Drake or [if] I'm Rick Springfield. I have no idea what I'm gonna be this time, but I'm open for - 'cause the 50th -- open for whatever you guys want."

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, Riverside Soap Opera Examiner

Rene' Thurston has been an avid soap fan for more than 30 years. She operates the official web sites of Heath Kizzier (Joshua Landers, Y&R) and Christopher Atkins (Peter Richards, Dallas). When Rene' isn't glued to her "stories," she enjoys managing her costume business and living life in the...

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