January trial set for Vince Neil on DUI charge

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Monday, Oct. 11, 2010 | 11:01 a.m.

Heavy-metal rocker Vince Neil, the lead singer of Mötley Crüe, will begin his trial for a drunken driving charge after the new year.

At a status check in the case Monday morning, Neil's trial date was set for 9 a.m. Jan. 6 before Justice of the Peace Eric A. Goodman, court officials said.

Neil, whose band has cultivated a hard-partying image and is known for hits like "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "Dr. Feelgood," was charged with drunken driving in late June near the Las Vegas Strip.

After leaving the Las Vegas Hilton in his black 2008 Lamborghini, Neil was pulled over by a Metro Police officer for speeding and weaving between lanes on Desert Inn Road west of Paradise Road.

According to the arrest report, Neil was traveling 60 mph in a 45 mph zone. The officer reported Neil had "excessive travel before stopping" after he turned on his lights and siren. He said Neil traveled about one-half to three-fourths of a mile before finally stopping on the shoulder, the report said.

Neil told the officer he had just left the Hilton and was going home. He told the officer he had three glasses of champagne, but didn't know when his last drink had been.

Neil was then given three physical tests to determine if his blood alcohol content was higher than the legal threshold of 0.08.

The report said Neil failed a "Horizonal Gaze Nystagmus" test, which measured how well his eyes followed the officer's finger as it was moved 12 to 15 inches in front of him.

Neil also failed the "Walk-And-Turn" test, where he was supposed to walk nine heel-to-toe steps out, then turn and take nine heel-to-toe steps back. The officer wrote that Neil took three steps, then nine on the second pass and "leaned against police car during instructions."

Neil also failed the "One-Leg Stand" test, which required him to balance on one leg for 30 seconds, the arrest report said. As he was trying to stand on one leg, Neil said "I can't do this," and put his foot down three times, the arrest report said.

After failing those three tests, Neil was then given a breath test, which he took at 12:21 a.m., the report said. The test showed his blood alcohol content readings were 0.215 and 0.216, compared to the legal limit of 0.08, the report said.

Neil was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center, but was released the next day on $2,000 bail.

The arrest came about a week after he had said in an interview that he was sober and that there are "other things in life than just drugs and alcohol."