On this day, July 14, in 1986, Motley Crue’s Vince Neil began a 30-day sentence for vehicular homicide.
On Dec. 8, 1984, the hard rock singer got behind the wheel of his sports car to buy more liquor in Redondo Beach, Calif. Neil lost control his vehicle and drove head-on into a Volkswagen. The collision killed his passenger, Nicholas Dingley, a drummer for Hanoi Rocks, and seriously injured two people. Neil registered a 0.17 percent blood-alcohol level, more than double the limit at which a driver is considered intoxicated.
The rocker was sentenced to 30 days, $2.6 million in restitution and 200 hours of community service. Neil got out of jail in 15 days.
Motley Crue dedicated its next album, “Theatre of Pain,” to Dingley. The inner sleeve reads, “To all Crue Fans: If and/or when you drink — Don’t take the wheel. Live and learn.”
Neil has had several run-ins with the law, including a 2004 arrest in Nevada on charges of assaulting a prostitute at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch.
Neil, 48, is working on a reality show.
– Scott McCabe
