DAYTON - The former frontman for the 1980s rock band Mötley Crüe pleaded no contest to battery Thursday in a July 2003 assault on a Moonlite BunnyRanch prostitute.
When Dayton Justice of the Peace Bill Rogers asked Vince Neil, 43, how he wanted to plead to the charge, Neil looked to his attorney Scott Freeman before saying, "No contest."
Neil declined to comment when the judge asked if he had anything to say.
"We wanted to resolve this as quickly as possible," Freeman said following the brief 2 p.m. hearing. "Mr. Neil personally appeared out of respect for this court and this county. Now he's moving on."
Prostitute Andrea "TrixXxie Blue" Terry said Neil choked her and threw her against a wall when the two met at the Mound House brothel July 10, 2003.
Neil stopped at the brothel after a concert in Reno with the bands Poison and Skid Row.
BunnyRanch owner Dennis Hof said he was sorry to hear that Neil felt pressured to enter a plea.
"It's sad to see Vince do that because in my mind this girl's an opportunist and I know that Vince did nothing wrong. I was the first person in the room (following the incident) and I saw the girl," he said. "I assume he did this to avoid having a lengthy trial. I will support him to the end, because I know he didn't do anything wrong."
Judge Rogers suspended a 30-day jail sentence and ordered Neil to complete his anger management correspondence courses within 60 days, pay a fine of $1,000 and court fees of $132.
Freeman said Neil returned to his Las Vegas home following the hearing.
A misdemeanor battery case in Los Angeles against Neil was dismissed Wednesday after he completed more than 100 hours of community service, prosecutors said.
Contact F.T. Norton at ftnorton@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1213.
