Actor Pleads Not Guilty to Drunk Driving

LAGUNA NIGUEL —  Actor Jan-Michael Vincent pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of drunk driving and driving with a suspended license in connection with an accident in Mission Viejo.

The actor did not appear in court but made the plea through an attorney, a court clerk said. A hearing was set for Jan. 17. The trial is expected to start Feb. 11.

Vincent, 52, was hospitalized with a broken neck and other injuries after his car rear-ended his girlfriend’s car and then slammed into a pole on Aug. 26.

At the time, he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%, authorities said.

Vincent was charged with three misdemeanors, including driving under the influence, exceeding the state’s blood-alcohol level and driving with a suspended license, according to a spokesman from the district attorney’s office.

If found guilty, Vincent faces a maximum penalty of 12 months in county jail and a $2,000 fine.

The actor is best known for his lead role in the television series “Airwolf.”

He was driving a 1988 Mazda when the vehicle rear-ended a car driven by his 28-year-old girlfriend, Nicole Michelle Wallace, as she slowed down for a curve, Orange County sheriff’s deputies said.

The Mazda spun out of control and hit a pole, investigators said. Wallace and her two children, who were riding with her, were unhurt.

In May 1995, Vincent’s driver’s license was suspended for four years after an accident in Malibu in which investigators determined that his blood-alcohol level was 0.33%, four times the legal limit.