This past weekend, WWE Hall of Fame inductee Hulk Hogan’s son, Nick Hogan, real name Nicholas Bollea, was arrested for driving under the influence in Clearwater, FL. TMZ was the first to report the arrest and noted that it occurred on Saturday morning. Based on their initial reporting, Clearwater police suspected Nick of driving under the influence, and when he was pulled over, he declined a sobriety test. The arrest was marked as a misdemeanor, and per the Tampa Bay Times, he was released later that day after paying a $500 bond.
The arrest affidavit for the incident was released today by several news outlets, including Radar, and it is noted in the report that Nick’s vehicle had a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage.” He was described as having bloodshot, glassy eyes. According to the affidavit, the arrest occurred at 1:38 am.
One officer reported that Nick was driving 51 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. Another officer saw Nick approaching them in a separate lane and used their flashlight to signal that he should slow down and move to another lane. When Nick did not do either, that is when he was pulled over. The affidavit states that when the officers approached Nick’s vehicle, there was a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage.” Nick declined to take a breathalyzer and failed when asked to conduct field sobriety tests.
The incident is made all the more sad by where it took place. In August 2007, at the age of 17, Nick was involved in a near-fatal car accident in Clearwater. In the car with him was his friend John Graziano, a veteran who was paralyzed in the severe car wreck and will require nursing care for the rest of his life. Nick pled no contest in May 2008, served eight months in county jail, and five years of probation.
In the wake of Nick’s latest DUI incident in Clearwater, Graziano’s mother, Debra, told TMZ she was not surprised. In her eyes, Nick is just as careless as he was twenty years ago and shows a “total lack of respect for what (he) did to another person’s life.”
“I can only pray that at some point in his life, while he still has the chance, that he turns his life around. Until then, I hope no one else gets hurt,” she said. “I grieve the virtual loss of my son on a daily basis. I thank God daily that at least I have John here with us at home.”