Griffin O'Neal Sentenced to Jail
Griffin O'Neal, the eldest son of actor Ryan O'Neal, has been sentenced to 16 months in jail for a DUI car accident.
The crash took place last summer and severely injured the other driver. Pleading guilty to one felony of driving under the influence, the previously-convicted man also admitted to a second felony of possession of a firearm.
He received his sentencing Friday in San Diego County Superior Court in Calif., where he had hit another car last August. His initial hearing was supposed to take place last month, but O'Neal missed the court date.
O'Neal's lawyer explained that his client had been drinking again after five years of sobriety and was unable to make the court date because he was in rehab.
Also an actor like his father, the 47-year-old has appeared in 11 movies from 1976 to 1992.
The DUI arrest is not the first time the actor has been involved in an accident that required the attention of police. In 1986, O'Neal had a boating accident that claimed the life of film producer Gian-Carolo Coppola.
O'Neal, who was driving the boat, was convicted of negligently operating the boat and received an 18-day jail sentence for not completing community service.
His legal problems of the past also include two DUI's in 1989 and 2007, and a recent arrest for domestic violence.
O'Neal's half-brother, Redmond O'Neal, also suffers from problems with the law. Facing various drug charges that course over the past couple of years, Redmond is currently in a locked-down rehab facility.
Griffin and Redmond O'Neal's father Ryan is best known for starring in the 1970's nighttime soap opera "Peyton Place." His role in the 1970 film "Love Story" earned the actor nomination for Best Actor by both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes.
O'Neal, 70, still lives in Los Angeles, Calif.
