Broken Probation Earns Vincent 60 Days in Jail

Actor Jan-Michael Vincent was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in Orange County Jail after admitting that he violated his probation four times in the past eight months.

Vincent, 56, has been on probation since 1996 for several convictions involving public drunkenness and driving under the influence. One of the cases stemmed from a 1996 accident in Cota de Caza, where Vincent then lived, that left him with a broken neck.

Appearing Thursday morning at the South Justice Center in Laguna Niguel, Vincent, who starred in the 1980s TV series “Airwolf” and appeared in numerous other movies and TV shows, admitted violating the terms of his probation by appearing drunk in public three times in Santa Monica: on Jan. 19, July 7 and July 8. He also admitted a July 20 incident of domestic violence in which he was arrested for pushing his then-girlfriend.

“He was very quiet,” Mike Hernandez, a deputy district attorney prosecuting the case, said of Vincent’s appearance in court. “He didn’t have much to say. He seemed to understand the conditions.”

Judge Gail Andler ordered Vincent to report to jail Sept. 29 to begin serving his sentence. Until then, his lawyer said, the actor will remain in a residential treatment program where he has been living since late July.

“We see this as a positive opportunity for Jan to sustain his commitment to sobriety,” lawyer Larry Wolf said. “This is his strongest motivation so far. We’re extremely positive about the likelihood of his continued sobriety.”

Following completion of his 60-day sentence, Hernandez said, the actor will return to the residential treatment program until a probation officer approves his release.

“It seems to be working for him,” the prosecutor said of the program. “I’ve seen him on a number of occasions, and today he appeared to be looking a lot better.”