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UPDATE: Nick Bollea will serve eight months in jail, 500 hours of community service and 5 years of probation, a judge ordered today. A new mug shot (left) was released this afternoon after he was booked into jail.
Circuit Judge Philip Federico said he hopes Bollea, 17, the son of famous wrestler Hulk Hogan, will do "everything you can do to make up for this.'' He also withheld adjudication, which means Bollea will not have a felony record.
The sentence is intended to both punish Bollea and give him a chance to redeem himself, Federico said.
In addition, Bollea's drivers license was revoked for three years, and he must pay $6,500 to the Clearwater Police Department and $450 in court fees.
Bollea stared straight ahead, his face impassive, as Federico announced the sentence. His mother, Linda, began crying softly. Hogan kept his head bowed and his palms clasped together, as if in prayer.
Bollea removed his belt and tie before being led out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies. He waved to his parents as he exited.
Bollea's sister, Brooke, left the courthouse in tears. Her father wrapped his arm around her and refused to talk to reporters.
It was a dramatic end to a two-and-a-half hour hearing at the Pinellas County Courthouse.
Bollea and his parents arrived at the courthouse at about 1:23 p.m. Bollea was wearing a gray suit and his famous father was wearing a black pinstriped suit and a black bandana.
Bollea faced a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Bollea's attorneys began the hearing by telling Federico they wouldn't fight the charge of reckless driving with serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony, if the judge agreed to cap his sentence at one year in jail.
The charge stems from Bollea's role in an Aug. 26 car crash that left his friend and passenger, John Graziano, in critical condition.
Attorney J. Kevin Hayslett said Bollea would plead no contest if his sentence wouldn't exceed more than one year in jail and five years probation.
"Nick's been very clear he wanted to resolve this today," Hayslett said.
Bollea's attorneys also asked that their client be allowed to serve his probation in California, a clear indication he plans to move out of the area.
Assistant State Attorney Scott Rosenwasser said he could accept those conditions. But he told the judge he wanted Bollea to accept the consequences of his actions.
"This was not an accident," Rosenwasser said. "I want (Bollea) to understand this was his fault. This crash was his fault. His fault and only his fault."
Federico then conducted a sentencing hearing to determine an appropriate punishment for Bollea.
During the hearing, Bollea apologized to Graziano's family and told them he missed John, whom he regarded as his best friend and older brother.
"No matter what has been said, every day I think about John," said Bollea. "There will never be a day I forget about this."
Hogan, also known as Terry Bollea, also testified, and said he hoped his son wouldn't be unfairly punished because of his celebrity status.
"Our whole family will never give up on John," Hogan said. "And we hope everyone else won't give up on Nick."
Hogan said John was practically a member of the family, celebrating birthdays and going on vacation with the Bolleas. John was 17 when he met Nick Bollea and the two became fast friends. John went on to join the Marines and serve in Iraq. He had only recently returned home.
Hogan said his son was devastated by the wreck.
"Being Nick's father, I've noticed a change in his demeanor," Hogan said. "He's done a lot of growing up in the last 18 months."
But members of the Graziano family told the judge that Nick Bollea never showed any remorse after the crash that left John Graziano in a semi-conscious state.
John's father, Ed Graziano, said Bollea displayed senseless, reckless behavior when visiting John at Bayfront Medical Center in the days after the accident. He said Bollea, 17, would skateboard down the halls shooting a dart gun while at the hospital.
"What Al-Quaeda couldn't do to my son, (Bollea) did," Ed Graziano said.
Graziano is currently at James A. Haley Medical Center. He is likely to need lifelong care. A guardian has filed a civil suit against the Bolleas on Graziano's behalf to help pay for his care.
Graziano's sister, Christin Carson, said she still picks up the phone to call her brother before remembering his condition.
"To see a Marine reduced to a state in which his mother has to bathe him is almost too much to bear," said Carson, choking back tears.
His mother, Debbie Graziano, said she jumps with excitement when John's eyes move or he squeezes her hand.
"I pray for a miracle, but the doctors tell me he'll never be John again," she said.
"I don't know how I'm going to live through this, missing my son," Debbie Graziano added. "It's excruciating."
--Mike Donila, Times staff writer
Nick Bollea removes his tie as Pinellas County Sheriff's bailiffs prepare to take him into custody. [Joseph Garnett, Jr., Times]
