TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Police Say Hogan's Son Was Racing Before Crash

News Channel 8 image

Nick Bollea turned himself into police on Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT

TBO.com Staff Report

Published: November 7, 2007

Updated: 11/07/2007 02:06 pm

Nick Bollea Booking Photo

Special Report | Photo Gallery | Animation: Recreation of Crash

Bollea's Pro Racing Status At Stake After Charges

Press Conference Video: Bollea's Attorneys Speak
Exclusive Video: Nick Bollea Leaves Attorney's Office
Unedited Video: Nick Bollea In Handcuffs

Nick Bollea, son of famed wrestler Hulk Hogan, has been arrested on felony charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury.

Two Clearwater police officers in an unmarked car dropped Bollea, 17, off at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater. Bollea appeared sullen and refused to answer questions.

Clearwater police say the crash happened Aug. 26, when Bollea was street racing against a silver Dodge Viper just before he lost control of his 1998 Toyota Supra. His sports car struck a curb and spun 180 degrees across two lanes of traffic before slamming rear-end first into a palm tree

John Graziano, Bollea's passenger, was critically injured in the Aug. 26 wreck.

"It's an appropriate charge for the facts as we know them and again, we support the state attorney's office," said George Tragos, attorney for Deborah Graziano, John's mother. "If they had chosen a lesser charge we would have supported them on that because we trust them."

Graziano, 22, has been deemed incapacitated, according to attorneys representing his father and mother.

Investigators say Bollea was driving more than 60 mph in a 40-mph zone when his car crashed.

Bollea, who lives in Belleair with his parents, was also cited for driving with illegal window tint and driving with a breath-alcohol level of .02 or higher, said Elizabeth Daly-Watts, Clearwater's public safety spokeswoman.

Court records say that two hours after the wreck, Bollea's ethanol serum level was .055 – high enough for a ticket for someone younger than 21 but lower that that required for a drunken driving charge.

Graziano, a veteran of the Iraq war, was left with "minimal brain activity'' following the wreck, according to the court documents. Graziano remains at Bayfront Medical Center and is expected to be transferred to a veterans hospital very soon, Tragos said.

The driver against whom Bollea was racing was Daniel Jacobs, 22, and riding as a passenger with Jacobs was Barrett Lawrance, 27. Lawrance told police that earlier in the day he, Jacobs and Bollea were on Hogan's boat, the documents say. Jacobs told authorities he had four beers on Hogan's boat and later drank a 32-ounce rum runner at a popular Clearwater bar, the documents say.

After the wreck, Jacobs told police he drove to Hogan's house because they couldn't reach him by telephone, court records say.

"Nick will meet and answer these charges in the appropriate arena – a court of law," attorneys Morris "Sandy" Weinberg Jr. and Kevin Hayslett said in a statement released on their client's behalf. "The family's primary focus and concern still remains for the continued recovery of Nick's longtime friend, John Graziano.

"The tragedy to both families is compounded by the fact that unfortunately John was not wearing his seat belt. Thankfully, Nick was wearing his. Because of what happened to John, the entire Bollea family will make it a priority to increase public awareness about the importance of always wearing your seat belt."

Hogan pulled up to the jail in a white Mercedes to pick up his son after a brief news conference. Bollea and his mother hugged outside the Mercedes and then he got in the back seat and put on his seat belt.

Police said Jacobs, the Viper's driver, was not a direct cause of the crash but has been issued a summons to appear in court for a reckless driving charge.

Stay with TBO.com for more details as this story develops.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT