Actor Vincent Facing Trial on Probation Violations

Actor Jan-Michael Vincent was briefly handcuffed and taken into custody Tuesday morning, then posted bail to await a Sept. 14 trial on alleged probation violations stemming from a January arrest for public drunkenness.

The former star of the 1980s television show “Airwolf” appeared at the South Justice Center in Laguna Niguel before Superior Court Judge Gail Andler just four days before his 56th birthday after he failed to show up for a regularly scheduled hearing last month.

Vincent, a former Coto de Caza resident, was arrested Jan. 19 in a Santa Monica park after someone called police to report a man rolling around in the grass, said Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael Hernandez. Authorities said Vincent was drunk at the time of his arrest.

Describing the incident as a “slip,” defense attorney Sharon Morris argued that Vincent has successfully completed an alcohol treatment program and should be allowed to remain free on his own recognizance.

Andler set his bail at $5,000 for each of four alleged violations, a total of $20,000. A pretrial hearing is set for Aug. 22.

Vincent was arrested for public drunkenness three times last year. All three arrests occurred in March 1999 in Coto de Caza.

Those arrests violated his probation stemming from a drunk driving arrest after a 1996 car accident. He was also ordered to participate in substance abuse programs and counseling for three years. Vincent broke his neck in that auto accident but recovered.

Vincent, who now lives in Santa Monica, could be ordered to serve up to two years in jail for the four alcohol-related charges, according to Tori Richards, a spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney’s office.