May 9, 08 03:55 PM

Nick Hogan (real name Nick Bollea) was sentenced to 8 months in jail, beginning immediately, today after pleading no contest to charges of felony reckless driving that stem from the August 6, 2007 car wreck that left his best friend, John Graziano, in critical condition. Hogan, 17, was also sentenced to 5 years probation, during which he will serve 500 hours of community service. He will also have his driver's license revoked for 3 years.

The presiding judge specifically asked that Bollea use his community service to do something positive "that reflects what John [Graziano] did in his service to our country as a Marine." Also, citing Hogan's age and lack of any prior criminal record (other than a series of speeding tickets the judge deemed to show a "cavalier" attitude behind the wheel), the judge didn't force Hogan into a guilty verdict, allowing his "no contest" plea to stand. Nick will also not have a felony conviction on his record when he turns 18 later in the summer.

The explained his decision saying, "I think there is an understanding of what happened, and there is a sense of acceptance of responsibility. There is nothing that the court can impose that is close to what John has dealt with or will have to deal with as he moves forward."

Nick's father Hulk Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) watched as uniformed officers removed his son from the courtroom. Nick was not given the opportunity to say goodbye to his family before being taken into custody. Hulk Hogan and family did not address reporters as they left the courthouse after the hearing. Nick's attorneys did, saying that he is "happy" with the sentence, and happy that the case was finished.

 Nov 8, 07 12:01 AM

Wrestler Hulk Hogan's son, Nick Hogan, 17, was arrested this morning in Clearwater, Florida stemming from an August car crash that left his passenger and friend John Graziano, a Marine who had just completed a tour of duty in Iraq, hospitalized, reportedly in a coma. Graziano, who wasn't wearing a seatbelt, may have also suffered brain damage caused by swelling of his brain. Hogan is now facing several criminal charges, including third-degree felony reckless driving involving serious bodily injury. Police also cited the younger Hogan, whose real name is Nick Bollea, for use of a motor vehicle in commission of a felony, being under the age of 21 and operating a vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of 0.02 percent or higher and illegal window tint. The Clearwater police arrest report released this morning reports that Hogan was racing a second car, before the crash, at speeds of over 60 mph through the 40-mph zone, which was wet from recent rains. Despite being a minor at the time of the accident, Hogan will be tried on the charge as an adult. While investigators concluded that the actions of the other car's driver were not a contributing factor in the crash, Daniel Jacobs, the 22-year-old driver of a second car, which investigators have concluded was racing Hogan's car at the time of the crash, is also being issued a summons to appear in court for reckless driving.