Heather Locklear's Top 5 Real-Life Dramas

April 23, 2010 — -- For Heather Locklear, life since her first "Melrose Place" stint has been a drama worthy of its own prime time slot.

The actress' latest mishap: a 4 a.m. hit-and-run that's gotten her stuck with a misdemeanor charge. Below, read up on the details of that debacle, plus four others that the 48-year-old star has dealt with since her TV glory days.

Hit-and-Run Headache

Thought your 4 a.m. nightmares were bad? Be glad you're not in Locklear's bed. The actress, who plays Amanda Woodward on "Melrose Place," got a May court date after running her car into a street sign early Saturday morning. According to Ventura County Sheriff's Captain Eric Dowd, a resident reported hearing a crash around 4 a.m. Police launched an investigation that led them to Locklear, whom they believe was behind the wheel at the time of the crash. She was cited for a misdemeanor and released later Saturday.

Sheriff's spokesman Ross Bonfiglio told People magazine that it seems Locklear "drove up on a curb and hit the sign" but said there's "no indication alcohol was involved." Blair Berk, Locklear's attorney, confirmed to The Associated Press that Locklear owns the black 2005 BMW involved in the incident but said "it is not yet clear who was driving the vehicle." Berk declined ABCNews.com's requests for further comment.

DUI Drama

The consequences for Locklear's recent hit-and-run could be dire because of her September 2008 DUI arrest, for which she's serving three years' probation. The circumstances of the case weren't run-of-the-mill: police went after Locklear after Jill Ishkanian, a former reporter and editor at Us Weekly magazine, called 911 saying that the actress appeared to be under the influence when she saw her outside a market in Montecito, California. Ishkanian took photographs of Locklear's subsequent DUI arrest and sold them to TMZ.com.

While a blood test detected no alcohol or illegal drugs in Locklear's system, the Santa Barbara District Attorney's office alleged that she was under the influence of prescription medications the day she was arrested. In January 2009, Locklear pleaded no contest to one charge of reckless driving; in return, the district attorney dismissed her DUI charges. Her punishment: the aforementioned probation, a $700 fine and a DMV road and safety class.

Heather Locklear: Top 5 Personal Dramas

If Locklear was under the influence of prescription medications during the September 2008 incident, she may have had good reason. In June of that year, she checked into an Arizona facility seeking treatment for mental health issues.

"Heather has been dealing with anxiety and depression. She requested an in-depth evaluation of her medication and entered into a medical facility for proper diagnosis and treatment," Locklear's representative, Cece Yorke, told reporters at the time. According to People magazine, Locklear's time in Arizona wasn't all trials and tests: she also spent her four weeks there enjoying spa services and horseback rides.

Suicide Scare

Considering what she endured during the spring of '08, it's no wonder Locklear sought treatment that summer. In March, a man claiming to be her doctor called 911 fearing for her safety. "I have a patient and I have a feeling she's suicidal," he told the dispatcher. While authorities released a statement saying they didn't believe the caller was "lying or fabricating the information provided at the time," they didn't administer care because, once help arrived at Locklear's home, "no one at the residence was in distress or needed medical or mental-health emergency assistance."

Locklear's representative further downplayed the call, saying, "[Heather] is fine. She never requested medical assistance and did not place a 911 call. Nor did anyone from her house call 911 or place a call requesting medical assistance."

Double Betrayal

It's hard to blame Locklear for having a rough couple of years. In 2006, shortly after splitting from Richie Sambora, her husband of more than 11 years and the father of their daughter, Ava, he hooked up with her BFF, Denise Richards.

Before she split with Sambora, Locklear sometimes trotted to parties arm-in-arm with Richards. She even helped Richards through a rough patch with her then-husband, Charlie Sheen. But she lost her friend along with her husband after filing for divorce.

"I wish Heather well," Richards told People magazine in 2006, asserting her relationship with Sambora was platonic until after Locklear filed for divorce. "Unfortunately our friendship had to dissolve and I'm sad about that. The last thing I would want to do is create a media frenzy like this, especially as I'm trying to get through a divorce."