Country singer Glen Campbell sentenced to 10 days in jail

PHOENIX (AP) _ Country music singer Glen Campbell was sentenced Tuesday to 10 nights in jail and two years of probation for a November drunken-driving hit-and-run collision. <br/><br/>``Believe you me,

Wednesday, June 16th 2004, 9:11 am

By: News On 6

PHOENIX (AP) _ Country music singer Glen Campbell was sentenced Tuesday to 10 nights in jail and two years of probation for a November drunken-driving hit-and-run collision.

``Believe you me, I think that's the last you've seen of Glen Campbell putting alcohol in his veins,'' Campbell told Judge John Buttrick of Maricopa County Superior Court at his sentencing Tuesday.

Campbell pleaded guilty in May to leaving the scene of an accident and extreme driving under the influence. On Tuesday, Buttrick sentenced Campbell to 10 days in county jail but granted a request for work furlough from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Campbell's attorney, Larry Kazan, said the 68-year-old needed the furlough for his full-time rehearsal and practice schedule at Glen Campbell Enterprises. Prosecutor Michael Denney said he had no objections to the release schedule.

Campbell will serve his sentence starting July 1 and is barred from drinking alcohol during his two-year probation term.

Campbell also was sentenced to 75 hours of community service and fined $900.

``They say there's a first time for everything; that's what this is like,'' Campbell said during the hearing. ``I wish it would have happened a long time ago so I wouldn't have to go through this now.''

The singer was arrested at his Phoenix home Nov. 24 after causing a minor traffic accident and then leaving the scene. No one was injured.

Extreme DUI applies to a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or higher. Police said breath tests indicated Campbell had a 0.20 blood-alcohol level at the time of his arrest. The legal limit for Arizona drivers is 0.08.

Kazan said the incident happened during a time when alcohol ruled Campbell's life, but that now the singer has a handle on the addiction and a ``rosy prognosis'' from doctors.

Friends and fans of Campbell were in the courtroom Tuesday. Some came from as far as California to be there.

``We want everyone to know that he's a pillar of the community,'' said Simi Valley resident Lynnie Sadowski, who drove to Arizona for the hearing and said she has been a fan of Campbell's for 35 years.

The singer has lived in Arizona for more than two decades. His hits include ``Rhinestone Cowboy,'' ``Galveston,'' ``Gentle on My Mind,'' and ``By the Time I Get to Phoenix.''