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Nolte narrowly escapes jail for driving on drugs
California, Dec 13: Actor Nick Nolte has pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of drugs and was placed on probation, thereby escaping jail time.
California, Dec 13: Actor Nick Nolte has pleaded no contest to driving under the influence of drugs and was placed on probation, thereby escaping jail time.
On Thursday (December 12) the 61-year-old actor pleaded no contest to the charge in a Malibu, California, courtroom.
Prosecutors dropped the drunk driving charge after he agreed to drug counselling and testing. In September, Nolte was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Authorities say Nolte used the so-called date rape drug, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, a few hours before he was arrested near his Malibu home. Nolte, described by highway police as "drooling" and "completely out of it," was pulled over for driving erratically and failed a field sobriety test. He was later booked and photographed looking bleary-eyed and dishevelled. Nolte checked into a Connecticut drug treatment centre a few days after he was arrested. Under terms of his three-year probation, the actor was ordered to spend at least three more months in an out-patient drug rehab program.
In addition, he was given six months to complete a 12-week drunken-driving education program required by California for all motorists convicted of a drunk driving offence to regain their licenses.
Nolte also was ordered to pay fines, fees and other penalties totalling nearly $1,300 (USD). Failure to meet the terms of his probation could land Nolte behind bars for up to six months.
After the proceedings, Nolte and his attorney pushed past a throng of cameras and reporters. Asked what he had to say to his fans, he muttered: "Don't drink and drive," then stepped into a waiting car and was driven away.
The versatile Nebraska-born actor sprang to stardom in the 1976 TV mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man." He earned Oscar nominations for his 1991 role opposite Barbra Streisand in "The Prince of Tides" and for playing a hard-drinking sheriff on the brink of mental collapse in the 1997 drama "Affliction."
He is currently working on the movie "The Hulk," which will be released next summer.
Bureau Report
On Thursday (December 12) the 61-year-old actor pleaded no contest to the charge in a Malibu, California, courtroom.
Prosecutors dropped the drunk driving charge after he agreed to drug counselling and testing. In September, Nolte was charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance. Authorities say Nolte used the so-called date rape drug, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, a few hours before he was arrested near his Malibu home. Nolte, described by highway police as "drooling" and "completely out of it," was pulled over for driving erratically and failed a field sobriety test. He was later booked and photographed looking bleary-eyed and dishevelled. Nolte checked into a Connecticut drug treatment centre a few days after he was arrested. Under terms of his three-year probation, the actor was ordered to spend at least three more months in an out-patient drug rehab program.
In addition, he was given six months to complete a 12-week drunken-driving education program required by California for all motorists convicted of a drunk driving offence to regain their licenses.
Nolte also was ordered to pay fines, fees and other penalties totalling nearly $1,300 (USD). Failure to meet the terms of his probation could land Nolte behind bars for up to six months.
After the proceedings, Nolte and his attorney pushed past a throng of cameras and reporters. Asked what he had to say to his fans, he muttered: "Don't drink and drive," then stepped into a waiting car and was driven away.
The versatile Nebraska-born actor sprang to stardom in the 1976 TV mini-series "Rich Man, Poor Man." He earned Oscar nominations for his 1991 role opposite Barbra Streisand in "The Prince of Tides" and for playing a hard-drinking sheriff on the brink of mental collapse in the 1997 drama "Affliction."
He is currently working on the movie "The Hulk," which will be released next summer.
Bureau Report