Vince Neil Pleads Guilty to Misdemeanor Assault
UPDATE: Neil pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault on Thursday, but was able to avoid jail. According to TMZ, the Motley Crue singer will pay a $1,000 fine, serve six months on probation and attend “impulse control counseling” sessions.
Mötley Crüe‘s Vince Neil pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the misdemeanor battery charge the singer is facing after allegedly assaulting an autograph seeker inside a Las Vegas hotel in April. Neil’s attorney entered the plea for his client at the hearing, setting him up for a September 19th trial.
“I ask people not to prejudge situations until all the facts come in,” Neil’s defense attorney David Chesnoff told the press following the hearing, the Las Vegas Sun reported. According to Metro police, the investigation determined that Neil pulled a woman by her hair to the ground after she sought an autograph from actor Nicolas Cage, who was with the singer at the time in the Aria hotel.
“[Mr. Neil] and Mr. Cage went to Aria. A female was attempting to talk to or get an autograph from Mr. Cage,” Officer Michael Rodriguez of the Las Vegas Police Department told Rolling Stone earlier this month. “Mr. Neil subsequently pulled her down to the ground by the hair.” In early July, after authorities viewed surveillance video of the incident, prosecutors formally charged Neil with misdemeanor assault.
Paparazzi captured the aftermath of the Aria incident, where Cage and Neil grappled in the hotel’s valet area. According to TMZ, the actor and singer reportedly got into a “huge physical fight,” but video of the confrontation only caught the pair reconciling as Cage yelled at Neil, “Stop this shit now!”
If convicted of the misdemeanor battery charge, Neil could face six months in jail.