Vanilla Ice Takes Plea in Theft Case

Vanilla Ice has accepted a plea deal to perform community service after being arrested over the break-in and theft at an abandoned home in Florida. The rapper, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, appeared in circuit court in West Palm Beach today. He agreed to a fine of more than $1,000 and 100 hours of community service to avoid charges of grand theft in the February incident. Van Winkle hosts a home-improvement show, DIY Network's The Vanilla Ice Project, and he was renovating a home next to the one from which items were taken. The 47-year-old called it a misunderstanding, not a theft. (More Vanilla Ice stories.)