Neil was pulled over by local police after they spotted him driving erratically. He promptly failed three field sobriety tests and was found to have a blood alcohol level of three times the legal limit. He had, only moments before, smashed the camera that belonged to one of his fans. He was also charged with doing 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. He will officially plead guilty on January 26th and will then immediately begin serving his jail sentence. In a statement he released earlier this week, Neil says, ''I take full responsibility for my actions and will learn from this experience. I have recognized that you can't drink and drive at all''.
The plea bargain has proved quite controversial. In December 1984, Neil killed a man as he was driving while intoxicated. At that time, he was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence (his level was 0.17). Besides the death of his passenger, then-Hanoi Rocks drummer Nicholas ''Razzle'' Dingley, the two occupants in the vehicle he hit suffered brain damage. He served less than thirty days in jail and was ordered to pay more than $2 million in restitution. In 2007, Neil was arrested once again on suspicion of DUI, but was eventually allowed to plead guilty only to reckless driving charges. In recent years, Neil has said he no longer drank or abused drugs of any kind. In an interview with CBS News, Neil explained, ''There's just a point in your life where you kind of stop, that's what happened with me. There's other things in life than just drugs and alcohol''.
