Nickelback front man faces impaired driving charge

Nickelback lead singer Chad Kroeger has been charged with impaired driving, after being stopped by the RCMP in Surrey last month.

Kroeger - also known as Chad Robert Turton - was pulled over on June 22 after officers became suspicious of the way a car was being driven.

Kroeger, who has a home in Abbotsford, is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 25, facing charges of impaired driving and driving with a blood alcohol level over .08.

His lawyer says the singer should be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

Marvin Stern also said his client "wishes to make it clear to all his fans that drinking and driving is something that should be avoided at all costs."

Hailing from Hanna, Alta., but now based in B.C., Nickelback shot to the top of the national and international charts in 2001 with How You Remind Me, the first single off the band's hit third album, Silver Side Up.

The Juno Award-winning band's two subsequent albums, 2003's The Long Road and 2005's All the Right Reasons, were also chart-toppers.

With files from the Canadian Press.