As reported yesterday, Nick Hogan pleaded no contest Friday to the criminal charges stemming from his car wreck in August of 2007 that left his friend John Graziano permanently injured. He was sentenced to:
- Eight months in Pinellas County jail, starting immediately.
- Five years of probation which includes no alcohol.
- 500 hours of community service.
- Three years of having his driver's license revoked.
Other highlights from the trial included the following.
- The court did not give ajudication to the case. Had they done so, Nick would have been ruled guilty.
- The Judge called the case a "tragedy" for both the Hogan and Graziano families, noting that Nick and John's friendship turned into this.
- The Judge said that he did believe Nick has been hurt from the incident and is suffering emotionally.
- The Judge said that the accident wasn't really an accident since it could have been avoided at any time by making different decisions that day.
- The Judge said that he was impressed with some of the things he has seen and heard Nick and the Hogan family do for the Grazianos since the accident, but that he could not overlook the decisions Nick made.
- Nick had reached a deal ahead of time. In exchange for his no contest plea, he was promised a cap of one year prison time and five years probation. The Graziano family wanted "at least" one year of prison for Nick.
- Nick did address the court, saying he missed being around John everyday, saying he was like a brother and that he looked up to him. He apologized to the Graziano family and said he prays for John everyday.
- Nick said he has tried to become a better person since the wreck, noting that he has raised $60,000 for brain trauma research, and that some went directly to John's care.
- The Graziano family was very hard on Nick. John's father said that Nick had done in a few minutes what Al-Qaida couldn't do (a reference to John's time in Iraq). He said that John will need round the clock care forever and will probably never be able to communicate with his family again while Nick's life will go on. He even said that Nick did not have any remorse for the accident and seemed like he was being forced to visit John the times he did come and that he spent much of the time during those visits skateboarding in the hospital hallways. He also mentioned that Nick and the Hogans never showed up to John's boot camp graduation or his sendoff/return from military service, disputing Nick's claim that John was like a brother to him.
- John's sister also stated that Nick had not shown any remorse.
- John's girlfriend asked what kind of friend Nick was to bring skateboards and Nerf toys to John's hospital bed and play when he was suppose to be visiting John.
- John's mother said that the Hogans never apologized to her and that at the time of the accident, she was unaware that Nick had been arrested for speeding while having Hulk Hogan in the car with him and that Linda Hogan was videotaped bragging about racing. She also said some very emotional things about how excited she now gets when John moves his eyes towards her or is able to breath without a tube.
- Hulk Hogan spoke and talked about how he considered John a member of their family. He said that John spent days and sometimes weeks at their house when he was having issues with his father and that he even spent the night before he went to Iraq with the Hogans, not to mention going on vacations with them.
- Hogan said that his family has also been torn apart by this.
- Hogan said that Nick has gotten an unfair reputation because many judge him based on the persona he has on their VH1 reality show, but he said that show is scripted and that Nick was essentially acting in the show. He said that Nick is just a 17 year old boy and asked the Judge to not treat Hogan differently because he was from a celebrity family. He also said that the Hogan family will never give up on John and that he still prays for John's full recovery.
- Linda Hogan called the incident "heartbreaking" and that John was like a brother to Nick and Brooke. She cried at one point, saying Nick never wanted to hurt his friend and that he has to live with the pain of what he did forever.
- Brooke Hogan cried through her statement too, saying that John and Nick were best friends. She went as far as to insinuate that many in the court who were speaking on behalf of John had not been there for him in the past and were now after superficial things. She said that money is the root of evil and that it is why she hates being a celebrity.
http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/75200/More-Details-On-The-Nick-Hogan-Trial-&-Sentence.htm
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