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Judge Puts Curbs On Hogan's Son's License To Drive

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By STEPHEN THOMPSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 25, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Nick Bollea last week pleaded no contest to charges he was speeding in Pinellas Park on Aug. 10, a move that brings restrictions on his driver's license, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Pinellas Park police issued Bollea a speeding ticket two weeks before the 17-year-old wrecked a Toyota Supra in Clearwater, leaving a passenger critically injured. Speed has been cited as a factor in the wreck.

In the Pinellas Park traffic stop, Bollea was accused of driving 82 mph in a 45-mph construction zone at 10:30 a.m. along U.S. 19, court records show. He wasn't wearing a seat belt and pleaded no contest to that violation as well, records state.

County Judge William Overton found Bollea guilty and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine, the maximum for the offense of speeding in a construction zone, court spokesman Ron Stuart said. Bollea also was ordered to attend a 12-hour driver improvement school within 90 days, records state.

Bollea also was found guilty of not wearing a seat belt and was fined $73.50, Stuart said.

Ann Nucatola, spokeswoman for the state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said that as soon as the state agency receives information regarding Overton's action, Bollea will receive a letter telling him he can drive for business purposes only.

Nucatola said four points will be added to Bollea's driver's license as a result of the Aug. 10 traffic stop. He already had four points on his driver's license after he was convicted of driving 106 mph in a 70-mph zone in Osceola County on April 25.

Drivers younger than 18 who receive six points or more on their driving record within 12 months automatically are restricted to business purposes for 12 months or until they turn 18. For Bollea, who turns 18 in July, the latter scenario will apply, Nucatola said.

Bollea, the son of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, has not been charged in the Aug. 26 crash in Clearwater that seriously injured passenger John Graziano, who remains in critical condition at Bayfront Medical Center.

Previously in the Aug. 10 Pinellas Park traffic stop, Bollea had been ordered to appear before a traffic court judge rather than just pay the ticket. Stuart said the no-contest plea - which was entered in writing, not in person - in essence stood in for the court appearance before the judge.

Reporter Stephen Thompson can be reached at (727) 451-2336 or spthompson@tampatrib.com.

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