Bill Clinton’s half-brother charged with drink-driving

Former US President Bill Clinton’s half-brother has been charged with drink-driving following his arrest over the weekend.

Roger Clinton, 44, was also charged yesterday with disturbing the peace and challenging someone to a fight in a public place.

Clinton allegedly told a nightclub doorman that he would ‘‘kick his ass’’ for refusing to let him back inside, according to Hermosa Beach police spokesman Paul Wolcott.

Clinton was freed on his own recognisance pending his April 2 arraignment on the three misdemeanour counts. He could face up to a year in jail and a 2,000 (£1,400) fine if convicted, police said.

A message left for Clinton at his home was not immediately returned.

Clinton was arrested on Saturday in Hermosa Beach, 18 miles south of Los Angeles.

An officer allegedly saw his Ford Expedition hit a kerb while making a right turn, stop beyond the limit at two stop signs and straddle the centre dividing line.

A breath test indicated that Clinton’s blood-alcohol level met or exceeded 0.08%, the legal limit, authorities said. Police did not release a specific figure.

Less than an hour earlier, police alleged, Clinton tried to re-enter the Lighthouse nightclub after it had closed for the night. Clinton allegedly tried to push his way past a doorman, Wolcott said.

The doorman told police that Clinton threatened him several times before patrol officers arrived and sent him on his way.

Clinton is no stranger to legal troubles. He served more than a year in prison after pleading guilty in the state of Arkansas in 1985 to a charge of conspiracy to distribute a single gram of cocaine.

Bill Clinton, who was governor of Arkansas at the time, pardoned him as one of his last acts as president.

In his 1995 book, Growing Up Clinton, Roger Clinton recounted his troubled life, including the physical abuse that he, his brother and late mother suffered at the hands of their alcoholic father, as well as his own addictions to alcohol and cocaine.

‘‘I have a walk-in closet full of skeletons,’’ Clinton said during an appearance in Washington, DC, to promote the book.