The cynical might say getting arrested is a good way to draw attention to your forthcoming projects -- after all, it makes headlines around the world. But Faith Evans probably didn't think so, when she was held after being stopped at a drunken driving checkpoint in the Los Angeles area.
Officer Cleon Joseph of the LAPD says the 37-year-old Evans was arrested Saturday night near Marina del Rey in California on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving. He says the Grammy-winning singer was held for a few hours and released on bail Sunday morning, AP reports. Her car was impounded. Information on her blood-alochol levels were not available.
Evans' drink driving arrest is not her first brush with the law. The singer and her husband, Todd Russaw, were arrested on suspicion of cocaine and marijuana possession in 2004. The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug treatment programme in exchange for halting further prosecution over the drugs charges.
The R&B singer is the widow of rapper Christopher Wallace, also known as the Notorious B.I.G. She won a Grammy in 1998 for the song "I'll Be Missing You."
She has four children - two with husband Todd, one with the late rapper and one from a previous relationship.
A reality series chronicling Evans' life is reportedly in production, and a new album is scheduled for release in October. Which makes the arrest perfect timing, say cynics.
A message left with Evans' agent Sunday was not immediately returned.