Actor Injured in Car Crash Faces 3 Charges

LAGUNA NIGUEL —  Three misdemeanor charges have been filed against actor Jan-Michael Vincent in connection with an alleged drunk driving accident in Mission Viejo, a spokesman from the Orange County district attorney’s office said Monday.

The actor, hospitalized with a broken neck and other injuries after his car rammed his girlfriend’s Cadillac on Aug. 26, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.18%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08%, authorities said.

Vincent is charged with driving under the influence, exceeding the state’s blood-alcohol level and driving with a suspended license, said prosecutor Larry Yellin. The charges were filed Friday.

His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 21. He faces a maximum penalty of 12 months in county jail and a $2,000 fine, Yellin said.

The 52-year-old actor is best known for his lead role in the television series “Airwolf.”

While there was some initial fear the critically injured Vincent might be paralyzed, doctors soon were optimistic that he would recover. He has since left Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center.

He was driving a 1988 Mazda when the vehicle rear-ended a car driven by his 28-year-old girlfriend, Nicole Michelle Wallace, as she slowed down for a curve, Orange County sheriff’s deputies said.

The Mazda spun out of control and hit a pole, investigators said. Wallace and her two children, who were riding with her, were unhurt.

In May 1995, Vincent’s driver’s license was suspended for four years after an accident in Malibu in which investigators determined that his blood-alcohol level was 0.33%, four times the legal limit.

Vincent recently co-starred in a low-budget film “The Ice Cream Man” and in the past appeared in television series such as “Dragnet” and “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.”