Rapper Vanilla Ice avoided a theft conviction on Thursday by striking a plea bargain to dismiss charges that say he burglarized a foreclosed home near the house he was working in his renovation-themed reality TV show.
"I’m happy to get this resolved," Ice, real name Robert Van Winkle, said after a hearing in Florida,
The Palm Beach Post reported. "I never had any criminal intent. It’s just unfortunate, but here we are. I’m moving forward."
Prosecutor Lindsey Warner said the charges will be dismissed if Van Winkle performs 100 hours of community service for Habitat for Humanity, takes a four-hour anti-crime course, and pays $1,139 to the homeowner he took items from.
An arrest report stated that Van Winkle, 47, was arrested Feb. 18, two months after taking furniture, a pool heater, and other items from a home registered to a man dead since 2008. Lantana police wrote that Van Winkle told them at the time that he'd purchased the home, but later told them he only intended to purchase the home.
Van Winkle also claimed to have found the items on a curb, and thought they were trash. A foreman working on the reality renovation show said Van Winkle told him he'd purchased the home, and asked him to bring items from one house to the other.
A new season of the DIY network reality show "The Vanilla Ice Project" premieres Saturday.
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