The Region : Rock Singer Faces Manslaughter Charge

Vincent Neil Wharton, 23, lead singer for the heavy metal rock band, Motley Crue, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with a Dec. 8 auto accident in Redondo Beach that left one man dead and a young couple injured. Wharton’s blood alcohol level was .17, well above the legal limit of .10, when his car skidded across a median strip on The Esplanade and rammed into an oncoming car, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Ira Reiner said. Nicholas Dingley, 24, a passenger in Wharton’s car and the drummer for the rock band Hanoi Rocks died in the crash.