Judge denies Nick Hogan's request to end his solitary confinement

A Florida judge apparently disagrees that Nick Hogan's current stint in solitary confinement is unwarranted.


Pinellas-Pasco Judge Philip J. Federico denied a Friday motion that the former Hogan Knows Best co-star be released from solitary confinement to instead serve the remainder of his eight-month sentence in minimum security or on house arrest, The St. Petersburg Times reported Tuesday.

While Federico denied the motion in a three-sentence order, The Times reported he did not elaborate on the ruling and also decided against scheduling a hearing for any legal issues to be argued.

"Had there been a need for such arguments, a hearing would have been scheduled," court public information officer Ron Stuart told reporters via email, according to The Times.

In the Friday motion, lawyers described Hogan -- the son of wrestler Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea -- being held in isolation for 16 to 17 hours a day in a maximum security cell as "cruel and unusual punishment."


According to court documents, the 17-year-old was placed in solitary confinement because the jail where he is being held was not equipped to house a minor in the adults-only minimum-security area.

However Hogan's lawyers requested he either be moved to minimum security or released to house arrest until his eighteenth birthday on July 27 -- at which point he would return to prison.

Based on Federico's Tuesday ruling, Hogan will remain in his 8.5-by-16.5-foot cell that contains only a sink, toilet, shower, small desk and bed, according to The Times. 

In addition, Federico's ruling is reportedly consistent with a letter written last week by sheriff's deputy general counsel Jennifer Monrose Moore that claims Hogan's "current classification, housing and treatment... are proper."

Hogan was driving his father's 1998 Toyota Supra last August when he lost control and hit a raised median, spinning the vehicle and causing its rear end to strike a palm tree.  


Hogan's front-seat passenger -- former U.S. Marine John Graziano -- spent several weeks in critical condition in a medically-induced coma.  Graziano suffered a broken skull and is expected to need lifelong care that will probably require he spend the remainder of his life in a nursing home.

Following a more than two month investigation by police, Hogan was arrested on charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury; using a motor vehicle in commission of a felony; being a driver under 21 operating a vehicle with a breath-alcohol level of 0.02% or higher; and having illegal window tinting.

He was sentenced earlier this month to eight months in jail after he pleaded no contest to reckless driving.  He also received five years of probation and surrendered his driving privileges for three years. 

Graziano's lawyers have also filed a lawsuit, alleging three counts of negligence on the part of Hulk and one count each on Linda and Nick.

Graziano family lawyer George Tragos told The Times he was "appalled" at Hogan's request to move from solitary confinement.


"It doesn't sound cruel compared to what John Graziano's going through," Tragos told The Times.






About The Author: Christopher Rocchio